[BRARY 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


OF  CAL  [FORNIA 


LOS  ANGELES 


LAKE    GEORGE : 


Its  Scenes  and  Characteristics,  with  Glimpses 
of  the  Olden  Times. 


TO  WHICH  IB  ADDED  SOME  ACCOUNT  OP  TICONDEROGA, 

LAKE   LUZERNE, 

Schroon  Lake  and  the  Adirondacks. 


WITH  AN  APPENDIX, 

CONTAINING  NOTES  ON  LAKE  CHAMPLA1N. 


BY  B.  F.  DE  COSTA. 


NEW   YORK: 

ANSON  D.  F.  KANDOLPH  &  COMPANY, 

No.   770  BROADWAY. 


Entered  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868,  by 
li.    F.    DE  COSTA, 

In  the  Clerk'.*  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New  York 


ROBERT    ROTTER, 
BINDER, 


F 
i  on 


PREFACE. 


THIS  book  is  designed  to  convey,  in  a  compact  form, 
all  that  general  readers  may  desire  to  know  about 
Lake  George. 

The  author  was  originally  attracted  to  the  subject  by 
its  rare  charms,  and  afterwards  persuaded  to  throw  his 
thoughts  into  the  present  shape,  for  the  reason  that  a 
book  of  this  kind  was  actually  needed ;  especially  as 
Lake  George  has  suffered  so  much  at  the  hands  of 
magazine  writers  and  others,  who  have  done  little  more 
than  to  transcribe  popular  errors. 

In  preparing  this  work  the  author  has  sifted  out  the 
legends  from  the  facts,  which,  in  the  history  of  this  Lake, 
are  quite  as  romantic  as  any  fiction,  and  has  endeavored 
to  base  his  statements  on  original  authorities. 

That  no  lake  in  America  has  greater  claims  to  consid- 
eration, is  abundantly  proved  by  the  increasing  throngs 
of  visitors  who  assemble  at  the  Lake  every  summer. 
This  is  pre-eminently  "  Health's  cheerful  haunt."  The 
pure  air,  the  lovely  scenes,  and  the  numberless  localities 
consecrated  by  song  and  story,  form  an  attraction  to 
which  few  persons  could  be  insensible. 


IV.  PREFACE. 

The  tourist  at  the  Lake  will  find  this  work  a  complete 
guide,  and  by  following  the  author's  suggestions  he  will 
gain  Jin  introduction  to  every  point  of  interest. 

In  sending  out  this,  the  Third  Edition,  the  Author  has 
made  such  corrections  as  have  been  rendered  necessary  by 
recent  improvements  on  some  of  the  lines  of  travel ;  and  haa 
likewise  added  a  chapter  on  LAKE  LTTZERNE. 

STUYVESANT  PARK, 

NEW  YORK,  1871. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. L'OvER:ruRE. 

CHAPTER  II DOWN  THE  LAKE. 

CHAPTER  in.  .     .     .  THE  LAKE  IN  THE  SEASONS. 

CHAPTER  IV AMONG  THE  ISLANDS. 

CHAPTER  V. IN  GENERAL. 

CHAPTER  VI COLONIAL  DATS. 

CHAPTER  VIL COLONIAL  DATS. 

CHAPTER  VILT.    .     .     .     REVOLUTIONART  SCENES. 

CHAPTER  IX TICONDEROGA. 

CHAPTER  X.    ....    SCHROON  LAKE  AND  THT 

ADIRONDACKS. 
CHAPTER  XI.  LAKE  LTJZERNE. 


LAKE     GEORGE, 


L'O  VERTURE. 

CHAPTER     I. 

Scenes  must  be  beautiful,  which,  daily  viewed, 

Please  daily,  and  whose  novelty  survives 

Long  knowledge  and  the  scrutiny  of  years. —  Cowper. 

SITUATION  —  EXTENT  —  GLEN'S  FALLS — FIRST  VIEW — PROS- 
PECT MOUNTAIN  —  BLACK  MOUNTAIN — THE  BOLTON  VIEW 
—  HISTORIC  ASSOCIATIONS. 


IRST  we  must  speak  of  the  situa- 
tion of  Lake  George,  which  lies 
at  the  head  of  a  valley  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  extending  southward 
through  Vermont  and  New  York, 
and  reaching  nearly  to  the  Hud- 
son River.  It  is  about  thirty-five 
miles  long,  and  from  one  mile  to 
^  four  miles  wide.  The  broadest 
part  is  found  about  eight  miles 
from  Ticonderoga,  while  it  at- 
tains its  greatest  depth  at  a  point 
four  miles  farther  north.  It  is 
elevated,  probably,  about  three  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea ;  and,  according  to  fair  estimates,  it  must  stand 


8  L'OVERTURE. 

two  hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the  level  of  Lake 
Champlain,  the  receptacle  of  its  surplus  water,  which 
passes  through  a  creek,  and  flows  over  two  picturesque 
falls.  Surrounded  on  all  sides,  except  at  the  outlet,  by 
beautiful  hills,  and  mountains  of  primitive  rock,  it 
receives  from  then*  springs  and  brooks  an  unfailing 
supply  of  water  that  is  sufficiently  sparkling  and  pure 
to  justify  the  name — St.  Sacrament — which  the  lake 
originally  received. 

At  some  remote  period,  this  whole  region  was  swept 
over  by  a  great  deluge  which  left  the  country  far .  and 
wide  covered  with  loose  earth  and  gravel,  and  gave  to 
the  lake  a  floor  of  beautiful  white  sand.  This,  in 
connection  with  the  crystal  purity  of  the  water, 
renders  objects  visible  at  a  considerable  depth. 

Only  a  small  portion  of  the  lake  is  seen  at  a  single 
view.  There  is  no  broad  and  striking  expanse  of  wa- 
ter. This  lake  (like  Como  and  Windermere)  assumes 
more  of  the  character  of  a  noble  river  flanked  by  high- 
lands. Winding  sweetly  on  its  way  among  the  ver- 
dant hills,  it  gradually  unfolds  its  wealth  of  beauty, 
surprising  and  delighting  the  tourist  at  every  advance 
by  some  new  and  exquisite  scene. 

In  approaching  the  lake  from  Albany,  the  tourist 
takes  the  Saratoga  railroad,  and,  passing  north, 
reaches  Glen's  Falls,  whence  he  goes  on  nine  miles 
by  coach,  or  else  he  continues  on  to  Whitehall  to  tako 
the  steamer  for  Ticonderoga,  and  approaches  the  lake 
from  the  north.  Most  persons,  however,  prefer  the 


L      OVEBTUEE. 


round  trip,  thus  going  by  one  route  and  returning  by 
the  other.  In  taking  the  first,  the  traveller  will  do 
well  to  secure  a  seat  upon  the  top  of  the  coach,  and 
thus  be  the  better  prepared  to  get  the  full  benefit 
of  the  journey.  Before  siting,  he  will  desire,  to 
visi£  points  of  interest  in  tR  vicinity.  The  scene  of 
the  death  of  Jane  McCrea  will  attract  some,  who 
insist  that  the  young  lady  was  murdered,  and  not 
accidentally  killed.  Others  will  visit  the  Falls 
of  the  Hudson,  which  are  close  at  hand.  The 
river  makes  a  descent  of  about  sixty  feet  in  a  suc- 
cession of  falls.  When  the  stream  is  full  the  sight 
is  magnificent  and  one  that  well  repays  the  trouble 
of  a  journey.  The  bed  and  walls  of  the  river  are 
composed  of  blue,  fossiliferous  limestone,  and  the 
scenery  is  bold  and  striking.  The  admirers  of  Cooper 
must  not  fail  to  explore  the  falls  and  visit  the  cave 
under  the  rocks  below,  where  the  novelist  lays  the  most 
thrilling  scenes  depicted  in  The  Last  of  the  Mohicans. 
It  was  in  this  cave  that  Hayward  and  Cora  found  ref- 
uge ;  where  David  struck  his  pitch-pipe,  and  sang  the 
"  Isle  of  Wight "  to  the  chiming  of  the  music  of  the 
falls. 

Leaving  Glen's  Falls,  the  coach  rolls  on  through  a 
beautiful  undulating  region,  whose  scenery  cannot  fail 
to  charm  the  eye.  Soon  after  leaving  Glen's  Falls, 
French  Mountain  rises  to  view  ;  and,  after  passing  the 
Notch,  at  about  three  miles  from  the  lake,  is  seen  the 
monument  to  Colonel  Williams,  who  was  killed  in  the 


10 


I/O  V  E  R  T  U  R  E. 


Battle  of  Lake  George,  fought  on  this  spot,  Sept.  8, 
1755.  This  monument  was  erected  by  the  Alumni 
of  Williams  College,  upon  the  rough  boulder  upon 
which,  it  is  said,  Williams  stood  when  he  received  his 
death-wound.1  A  little  further  on  may  be  seen  "  Bloody 
Pond,"  where  Baron  Jreskau's  troops  halted  after 


BLOODY      POND. 

their  defeat,  and  where,  at  sunset,  they  were  again  at- 
tacked, and  routed  with  much  slaughter,  and,  it  is  said, 
mingled  their  blood  with  the  water  of  this  shallow 
pond,  which  in  the  season  is  covered  with  beautiful 
white  lilies. 

(1)  —  Col.  Williams  was  buried  near  where  he  fell.  His  grave  was 
opened  about  thirty  years  ago,  and  not  long  since  his  skull  was  in  the 
possession  of  a  physician  in  South  Carolina. 


L'OVERTTTRE.  n 

About  half  a  mile  from  the  village  of  Caldwell,  the 
south,  or  upper  end  of  Lake  George,  comes  in  sight, 
glittering  among  the  verdant  hills  like  a  sea  of  glass. 
This  view  is  one  of  extreme  beauty,  yet  in  the  course 
of  his  rambles  down  the  lake,  the  traveller  will 
obtain  others  that  are  finer. 

In  order  to  obtain  an  extended  view  of  the  lake,  it 
is  necessary  to  climb  some  one  of  the  mountains  on  the 
border.  A  fine  view  may  be  had  from  the  eminence 
called  Rattlesnake  Cobble,  which  rises  south  of 
the  village  of  CaHwell.  A  mountain  road  leaves  the 
highway  opposite  the  Fort  William  Henry  Hotel,  and 
winds  around  the  base  of  the  mountain,  through  a  fine 
wood,  enabling  the  tourist  to  walk  easily  half  way  up 
the  ascent.  He  then  leaves  the  road  and  moves 
directly  toward  the  summit,  and,  in  the  absence  of  a 
path,  climbs  over  fallen  trees,  ledges  and  loose  rocks, 
which  task  a  strong  man's  strength.  On  the  top  of 
the  Cobble  there  is  an  open  space  in  the  woods,  which 
forms  a  beautiful  out-look  upon  the  lake.  Here  the 
village  of  Caldwell  is  seen  directly  below  our  feet, 
while  half  of  the  lake,  dotted  with  green  isles,  and 
fenced  in  by  mountains,  stretches  away  before  the 
sight  until  lost  in  the  haze,  out  of  which  Black  Moun- 
tain looms,  apparently  barring  the  way.  The  view 
from  this  point  is  one  that  delights  the  eye ;  and 
though  the  neighboring  and  much  loftier  Prospect 
Mountain,  with  its  beaten  path,  is  oftener  climbed,  it 
can  afford  no  such  satisfactory  view  of  the  lake.  The 


12  L'O  VERT  UR  E. 

glimpse  gained  from  that  mountain  may  be  far  more 
grand,  but  it  is  certainly  not  superior  in  beauty.  In- 
deed, at  the  present  time,  the  view  from  the  apex  of 
Prospect  Mountain  is  wholly  obstructed  by  the  trees. 
It  is  found,  when  reached,  to  be  a  place 

"  Where  to  the  north,  pine  trees  in  prospect  rise; 
Where  to  the  east,  pine  trees  assail  the  skies; 
Where  to  the  west,  pine  trees  obstruct  the  view; 
Where  to  the  south,  pine  trees  forever  grew! " 

In  fact  the  climber  sees  nothing  else.  Yet,  by  de- 
scending a  few  rods,  he  will  find  an  opening  where 
he  may  get  a  tolerable  glimpse  of  the  country  towards 
the  east  and  south. 

Three  hours  will  suffice  for  the  trip  up  Cobble  Hill, 
which  may  be  safely  achieved,  notwithstanding  the 
stories  that  he  will  hear  about  snakes ;  while  to 
ascend  Prospect  Mountain  will  ordinarily  consume  the 
greater  portion  of  a  day.  But  no  one  should  leave  the 
lake  without  ascending  both.  Nor  would  it  be  alto- 
gether unprofitable  to  climb  the  French  Mountain,  on 
the  east  side  of  the  lake,  above  which  the  traveller 
first  beholds  the  morning  sun. 

A  still  more  lovely  view  may  be  had  at  Bolton,  ten 
miles  down  the  lake,  from  an  eminence  also  called 
Prospect  Mountain,  where  the  air 

"  Nimbly  and  sweetly  recommends  itself 
Unto  our  gentle  senses." 

The  Bolton  view  has  a  wider  range,  and  is  more  com- 


L'O  V  E  R  T  URE.  13 

prehensive  than  that  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  in  addition 
to  being  more  attractive.  Here  we  take  our  second 
lesson  in  the  geography  of  the  lake,  and,  overlooking 
the  Narrows,  (which  in  early  times  was  called  the  First 
Narrows,  to  distinguish  them  from  the  Narrows  at  the 
outlet),  we  get  a  glimpse  of  the  region  beyond. 
Seen  from  this  point,  the  lake  loses  the  crowded 
aspect  which  it  wears  while  we  are  upon  its  shores, 
and  the  islands  appear  reduced  in  size.  Black  Moun- 
tain, however,  affords  a  view  which,  for  grandeur, 
eclipses  everything  else. 

About  three  miles  north  of  Fourteen  Mile  Island, 
hi  a  small  clearing,  stands  an  old  house  used  in  the 
winter  by  the  Black  Mountain  lumbermen.  This  is 
the  point  of  departure  hi  making  the  ascent.  Taking 
one  of  the  rough  roads  used  in  winter  in  hauling  logs, 
we  follow  it  for  about  three  miles,  which  brings  us 
to  a  pond,  situated  a  mile  from  the  summit,  and  which 
in  the  summer  is  flecked  with  lilies.  At  this  point  we 
turn  to  the  left  and  clamber  on  as  best  we  may.  Up 
we  go  along  the  dry  bed  of  winter  torrents,  and  over 
loose  debris  and  huge  rocks  magnificently  embossed 
with  rich  lichens.  Here  and  there  in  a  crevice  may 
be  found  a  spring  at  which  we  can  quench  our  thirst, 
while  beautiful  harebells  delight  the  eye.  This 
mountain  does  not  afford  any  opportunities  for  the 
study  of  Alpine  flora,  though  the  botanist  may  occa- 
sionally find  the  sand-wort  ( Greenlandica  arcnaria), 
which  bears  a  pretty  white  flower  worth  preserving. 


14  L'O  VE  RTURE. 

This,  like  all  mountains,  is  very  deceptive.  In  a 
transparent  atmosphere  its  summit  does  not  appear 
very  distant,  yet  as  we  go  forward,  it  recedes  and 
beckons  us  on  and  up,  while  occasionally  we  lose  sight 
of  it  altogether.  It  is  very  provoking  sometimes  to 
be  obliged  to  scramble  for  two  hours  over  the  rocks 
to  reach  a  point  that  you  expected  to  reach  in  a  few 
minutes.  Yet  the  journey  is  not  without  its  rich 
compensations,  and,  as  we  mount  up,  we  find  our- 
selves slowly  rising  into  a  new  world.  Finally,  we 
stand  on  the  bare  and  desolate  peak  of  Black  Moun- 
tain, where  the  eye  sweeps  the  entire  horizon,  and  sees 
the  green  hills  everywhere  rolling  like  billows,  while 
the  lake  reposes  in  the  vale  below,  mute  and 
motionless  as  a  silver  sea.  This  is  a  place  eminently 
calculated  to  inspire  lofty  sentiments.  .With  the  poet 
one  may  say : 

"  There  as  thou  standst 
The  haunts  of  men  below  thee,  and  nround 
The  mountain  summits,  thy  expanding  heart 
Shall  feel  a  kindred  with  that  loftier  world 
To  which  fhou  art  translated,  and  partake 
The  enlargement  of  thy  vision." 

Here,  however,  few  persons  rise  in  their  inspiration 
above  the  need  of  bodily  nourishment,  as  the  remains 
of  numerous  bottles  abundantly  testify. 

From  this  elevation  the  scene  is  one  of  great  variety. 
Besides  the  lake  at  our  feet,  Champlain  stretches  away 
toward  the  north;  in  the  south  may  be  seen  the 
Hudson,  glittering  like  a  silver  thread ;  in  the  north- 


L*O  YE  KTTJRE.  15 

west  are  the  Adirondacks ;  and  away  in  the  east  are 
the  Green  Mountains,  with  Camel's  Hump.  It  is 
interesting  to  watch  the  steamer  Minnehaha  running 
up  the  lake  from  Ticonderoga,  winding  her  way 
among  the  numerous  islands,  and  leaving  a  trail  of 
light  on  the  surface  of  the  calm  lake. 

In  visiting  Black  Mountain,  strangers  should  take 
a  guide  and  start  early  in  the  day,  or  else  prepare  to 
spend  the  night  somewhere  on  its  side. 

But,  although  so  much  has  been  said  of  the  moun- 
tain-views, we  must  not  forget  the  beautiful  walks  that 
are  to  be  found  among  the  wild  old  woods  on  the  hill- 
sides and  along  the  shores.  In  the  language  of 
another,  we  may  say: 

"  Nor  is  the  stately  scene  without 

Its  sweet,  secluded  treasures, 
Where  hearts  that  there  the  crowd  may  find 

Their  own  exclusive  pleasures; 
Deep,  charming  shades  for  pensive  thought, 

The  hours  to  wear  away  in, 
And  vaulted  isles  of  whispering  pines, 

For  lover's  feet  to  stray  in." 

Long  ago  the  beauty  of  Lake  George  began  to 
attract  the  attention  of  travellers,  many  of  whom  were 
foreigners.  It  was.  even  then  the  general  opinion, 
that  no  lake  exceeded  it  in  loveliness.  By  some  visi- 
tors, it  was  called  "  the  Como  of  America,"  and  others 
compared  it  to  the  lakes  of  Westmoreland  and  some 
of  the  Scotch  lakes  ;  while  all  agreed  that  it  must 
eventually  become  a  popular  resort.  The  prediction 


l6  L'O  VE  RTUR  E. 

has  been  more  than  justified  by  the  thousands  of 
tourists  who  now-  annually  visit  Lake  George. 

This  lake  is  adorned  with  no  ivied  ruin  or  lordly 
hall.  Besides  Caldwell,  (a  summer  convenience, 
more  for  use  than  ornament,)  there  are  only  four 
villages,  —  Bolton,  Dresden,  Hague,  and  Ticon- 
deroga.  Here  and  there  the  boatman  finds  a  farm- 
house or  cottage,  but  he  may  sail  for  miles  among 
certain  districts,  without  seeing  a  sign  of  human  life. 
And  yet  there  is  no  lack  of  antiquity.  Among  the 
lofty  hills  he  will  find  peaks  that  were  laid  bare  before 
Eden  bloomed,  towers  more  ancient  than  Babel,  and 
nature-carved  crags  that  rejoiced  in  the  sun's  warm 
rays  before  Memnon  began  to  sing. 

As  with  the  scenery  so  with  its  historic  associations, 
in  which  no  lake  can  be  richer.  There  is  hardly  a 
spot,  either  on  land  or  water,  that  has  not  been  the 
scene  of  some  warlike  exploit  or  heroic  adventure. 
Forming  in  colonial  tunes  a  part  of  the  great  highway 
between  Canada  and  New  York,  it  was  often  the 
chosen  battle-ground  of  the  French  and  English,  who, 
in  connection  with  hostile  Indian  tribes,  waged  a  bar- 
barous war  on  each  other.  Often  was  the  lake  trav- 
ersed by  the  soldier,  the  savage,  and  the  monk.  Hither 
came  the  brave  Montcalm,  the  pious  Father  Jogues, 
the  good  Roubaud,  Rigaud,  St.  Ours,  and  Courcelles, 
together  with  Abercrombie,  Howe,  Lord  Amherst, 
Putnam,  Rogers  the  Ranger,  Johnson,  Williams, 
"King  Hendrick,"  and  Stark,  and  a  multitude  of 


L'O  VE  RTURE.  17 

others  who  are  invested  with  historic  renown.  The 
story  of  their  deeds  contains  all  the  elements  of  ro- 
mance. Cooper  in  his  novels  has  invested  the  lake 
with  a  thrilling  interest,  but  the  literal  history  is 
ofttimes  stranger  than  the  overwrought  fiction. 

It  is  also  interesting  to  be  reminded  of  the  fact  that 
the  French  pushed  their  discoveries  in  this  direction 
hi  early  times,  and  that  Champlam,  who  heard  of  the 
Hudson  River  through  the  Indians,  started  on  his  way 
thither,  intending  to  go  by  Lake  St.  Sacrament,  about 
the  same  time  that  Henry  Hudson  was  sailing  up 
to  Albany,  which  was  four  years  before  the  Dutch 
took  possession  of  New  York,  and  eleven  years  before 
the  English  Puritans  landed  on  Plymouth  Rock. 

In  times  of  peace  the  Indian  hunted  the  deer  which 
abounded  in  the  woods,  or,  gliding  over  the  waters  in 
his  canoe,  darted  his  spear  at  the  trout.  But  when 
the  signal  for  war  was  given,  the  lake  became  alive 
with  armed  men  all  eager  for  the  fight.  Then  those 
sweet  and  tranquil  scenes  upon  which  the  tourist  now 
delights  to  gaze  were  obscured  by  the  smoke  of  battle, 
and  the  solitudes  echoed  with  the  rattle  of  the  musket 
and  the  boom  of  artillery.  Rogers  and  Putnam  both 
traversed  the  lake,  with  cannon  mounted  on  their 
boats,  which  scattered  the  Indian  canoes  in  fragments 
on  the  water ;  and  in  the  winter  they  traversed  the  ice 
on  skates,  and,  after  the  fight,  carried  their  wounded 
home  on  sleds.  The  imaginative  mind  can  easily 
re-animate  the  lake  with  the  splendid  armies  of 


l8  L'O  VE  RTTJ  RE. 

Abercrombie,  Amherst,  and  Montcalm,  numbering 
from  nine  to  sixteen  thousand  men  each,  and  sailing 
in  boats  and  batteaux,  marshalled  in  beautiful  array, 
with  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  war.  How 
peaceful  it  appears  to-day  at  the  head  of  the  lake 
around  the  ruins  of  Fort  George,  and  the  grass-grown 


FOKT      GEOXGE. 

site  of  Fort  William  Henry !  Yet  here,  through  long 
and  bloody  wars,  the  cross  of  St.  George  waved 
defiance  to  the  Lilies  of  France.  Here  forts  and  pali- 
sades went  up,  opposing  trenches  were  dug,  and  mines 
sprung.  Here  the  iron-mouthed  cannon  from  the 
narrow  embrasures  of  Munro,  belched  out  death  by 
day,  while  the  huge  bomb  with  its  fiery  trail  came 
shrieking  from  the  camp  of  Montcalm  by  night. 
Here,  too,  was  the  scene  of  the  massacre  of  the  Eng- 
lish by  the  French  Indians  of  St.  Francis.  But  now 


L'OVEUTURE.  ig 

all  signs  of  bloodshed  and  strife  have  passed  away. 
The  hapless  victims  are  forever  at  rest ;  and  the  de- 
scendants of  the  Abenakis,  from  the  ancient  village  of 
their  fathers,  now  unconsciously  pitch  their  summer 
tents,  and  pursue  the  harmless  trade  of  the  basket- 
maker,  over  their  graves. 


DOWN     THE      LAKE. 


CHAPTER     II. 

The.crowded  steamer  leaves  the  village  pier; 
Its  paddles  splash;  it  flaunts  a  gaudy  flag: 
And  brazen  music  loudens  into  noise. 

THE  START  —  FRENCH  MOUNTAIN  —  THE  ISLANDS  —  BOLTON 

—  THE    NARROWS  —  TONGUE   MOUNTAIN  —  BLACK  MOUN- 
TAIN—  BUCK  MOUNTAIN  —  SABBATH  DAY  POINT  —  HAGUE 

—  FRIENDS'  POINT  —  ANTHONY'S   NOSE  —  ROGERS'   SLIDE 

—  PRISONERS'  ISLAND. 

HE  tourist,  in  order  to  view  the 
•  lake,  will  find  it  necessary  to 
pass  over  its  entire  length  in 
the  steamer,  which  runs  regu- 
larly to  Ticonderoga,  going 
down  in  the  morning  and 
returning  in  the  afternoon. 

Leaving  the  little  quay  at 
Fort  William  Henry  Hotel,  the 
Minnehaha  glides  out  into  the 
centre  of  the  lake,  leaving 
behind  a  long  line  of  foam. 
The  high,  wood-crowned  moun- 
tain on  the  east  side  is 
French  Mountain.  It  terminates  in  the  beautiful 
point  called  Plum's  Point.  More  than  a  mile  down 


DOWN      THE      LAKE.  21 

the  lake,  on  the  west  side,  close  to  the  shore,  is  the 
first  island  which  we  pass.     It  is  called  Tea  Island, 


TEA      ISLAND. 

and  is  a  perfect  gem.  In  1828  a  "Tea-house"1  was 
kept  there  to  accommodate  visitors,  which  fact  accounts 
for  its  present  name. 

A  mile  and  a  half  farther  on  is  Diamond  Island. 
An  account  of  its  early  use  by  Burgoyne,  as  a  military 
depot,  and  of  the  defeat  of  Colonel  Brown  at  this 
place,  will  be  found  in  the  chapters  relating  to  the 
history  of  the  lake.  When  the  country  was  first  set- 
tled, the  island  was  overrun  with  rattlesnakes.  One 
writer  says,  that  the  people  seldom  ventured  upon  it. 
Anbury2  writes,  on  very  good  authority,  that,  before  the 
Kevolution,  "  A  batteau,  in  sailing  up  the  lake,  over- 
set near  Diamond  Island,  and,  among  other  things,  it 

(1)  — Stewart's  Trav.,  Vol.  i.,  p.  121. 

(2)  —  Anbury's  Trav.,  Vol.  i.,  p.  885. 


22  DOWN      THE       LAKE. 

contained  several  hogs,  which  swam  to  the  shore,  as 
did  the  Canadians,  who  were  rowing.  The  latter, 
apprehensive  of  the  rattlesnakes,  climbed  up  trees  for 
the  night,  and  the  next  morning,  observing  a  batteau, 
they  hailed  the  people  in  it  who  took  them  in."  It  is 
called  Diamond  Island  on  account  of  the  beautiful 
quartz  crystals  obtained  here.  Silliman,  who  was  here 
in  1819,  says:  "The  crystals  are  hardly  surpassed  by 
any  in  the  world  for  transparency  and  perfection  of 
form.  They  are,  as  usual,  the  six-sided  prism,  and  are 
frequently  terminated  at  both  ends  by  six-sided  pyra- 
mids. These  last,  of  course,  must  be  found  loose,  or, 
at  least,  not  adhering  to  any  rock ;  those  which  are 
broken  off  have  necessarily  only  one  pyramid."1 

Writing  at  this  time,  he  says :  "  There  is  a  solitary 
miserable  cottage  upon  this  island,  from  which  we  saw 
the  smoke  ascending ;  —  a  woman  who  lives  in  it,  is 
facetiously  called,  '  The  Lady  of  the  Lake,'  but,  prob- 
ably, no  Malcolm  Graeme  and  Rhoderick  Dhu  will 
ever  contend  on  her  account."2 

In  1821  he  visited  the  lake  again,  when  he  remarks 
of  Diamond  Island :  "  This  small  island,  scarcely  cov- 
ering the  area  of  a  common  kitchen  garden,  is  inhab- 
ited by  a  family  who  occupy  a  small  but  comfortable 
house,  and  constantly  explore  the  rocks  for  crystals. 
.  .  .  At  present,  they  are  scarcely  obtained  at  all, 
except  by  breaking  the  rocks."3 

(1)—  Sillimnn's  Trav.,  p.  153.      (2)  — ib.  p.  152.        (3)  — ib.  p.  168. 


DOWN      THE      LAKE.  23 

Near  by,  on  the  shore,  there  was  a  place  called 
Diamond  Point,  where  crystals  were  also  obtained  by 
the  same  man  —  an  Indian  named  Sampson  Paul. 
It  is  said  that  he  once  killed  an  immense  panther 
at  this  place,  as  the  animal  was  coming  out  of  the  lake 
benumbed  with  cold.  The  little  bay  beyond  this 
point  is  Montcalm's  Bay. 

Beyond  Plum's  Point  is  Dunham's  Bay,  where 
some  say  Colonel  Brown  landed  after  his  defeat  at 
Diamond  Island.  One  mile  beyond,  are  the  Three 
Sisters,  though  properly  there  are  only  two  islands ; 
and  a  little  way  east  is  Long  Island,  where  Rogers 
camped  one  winter's  night  in  1758,  after  having  been 
defeated  by  the  French.  In  the  bay,  farther  to  the 
right,  is  the  hotel  called  "  Trout  Pavilion,"  one  resort 
of  those  who  are  fond  of  fine  fish.  As  we  pass  on  to 
Bolton,  which  is  ten  miles  from  Caldwell,  we  leave  on 
the  west  side  the  islands  called  The  Three  Brothers. 
To  the  right  is  a  large  and  heavily  wooded  island, 
called  Dome  Island,  on  account  of  its  resemblance  to 
a  dome. 

West  of  Dome  Island  is  Recluse  Island,1  a  lovely 
spot,  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  lake  in  all  direc- 
tions. This  island  is  owned  by  Rufus  "Wattles,  Esq., 

(1)  — This  is  the  island  which,  in  January  of  1868,  was  reported  as 
sunk  by  an  earthquake,  and  which,  consequently,  became  so  famous 
in  the  newspapers.  It  stands  to-day  as  lair  as  ever,  and  will  last  as 
long  as  the  lake,  it  being  nothing  less  than  a  part  of  the  lake's  bed, 
which  was  lifted  up  into  its  present  position  during  that  dim  antiq- 
uity to  which  the  formation  ot  this  region  must  bo  referred. 


24  DOWN      THE      LAKE. 

of  New  York,  who  has  here  erected  the  only  private 
residence  yet  to  be  found  on  the  islands  of  the  lake. 
It  is  a  neat  cottage,  embowered  among  the  trees,  where 
a  genial  hospitality  is  gracefully  dispensed. 

On  the  sides  of  this  island,  facing  the  Narrows  and 
Bolton,  are  the  remains  of  some  earthworks,  which 
were  probably  erected  by  Abercrombie's  forces,  who, 
in  1758,  were  stationed  on  the  lake.  Near  by,  is  an 
islet,  often  called  Sloop  Island,  or  Ship  Island.  In 
sailing  down  the  lake,  it  appears  in  the  distance  like  a 
small  ship  under  sail.  In  1851,  it  was  visited  by 
Parodi,  the  famous  singer,  who  erected  a  rude  cross, 
which  still  remains.  Hence  the  island  has  sometimes 
been  called  by  her  name. 

The  steamer  now  heads  in  for  the  landing  at  Bolton, 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  distant,  and  one  of  the  most 
charming  parts  of  the  lake.  After  touching  at  the 
landing,  the  Minnehaha  starts  for  Fourteen  Mile  Isl- 
and, which  is  four  miles  from  Bolton,  and  located  at 
the  foot  of  Shelving  Rock,  on  the  right  of  the  entrance 
to  the  Narrows.  As  we  pass  towards  this  spot,  we 
leave  Green  Island  on  the  left,  beyond  which,  in  the 
mouth  of  Northwest  Bay,  is  the  spot  called,  (with 
little  taste  or  reason,)  Hog  Island.  Directly  in  front 
is  that  beautiful  elevation,  called,  from  its  shape, 
Tongue  Mountain,  and  which,  for  a  distance  of  six 
miles,  forms  the  east  side  of  Northwest  Bay.  As  we 
approach  Fourteen  Mile  Island,  we  get  a  just  view  of 
the  Narrows.  At  this  point  the  sides  of  the  lake 


DOWN       THE       LAKE.  25 

approach  each  other,  and  the  space  between  is  nearly 
filled  up  with  clusters  of  islands,  of  various  shapes  and 
sizes,  so  that  the  steamer  is  obliged  to  wind  carefully 
through.  At  a  distance  no  passage  can  be  seen,  and 


THE      N  A  RKOWS. 

the  islands,  covered  with  foliage,  resemble  a  tongue  of 
land,  stretching  across  the  lake,  forming  what  often 
appears  like  an  impassible  barrier.  At  first,  we  look 
in  vain  for  islands  and  a  passage  through.  So  it  was 
on  our  last  trip  down  the  lake;  but,  on  a  nearer 
approach,  the  passage  widened,  and  the  little  rifts  in 
the  woods,  here  and  there,  opened  like  celestial  gates. 
Then 

"The  shaggy  mound  no  longer  stood 
Emerging  from  entangled  wood; 
But,  wave-encircled,  seemed  to  float, 
Like  castle  girdled  with  its  moat: 
Yet  broader  floods  extending  etill     , 
Divide  them  from  the  parent  hill, 
Till  each,  retiring,  claims  to  be, 
An  islet  in  an  inland  sea." 

But  before  going  through,  we  stop  at  the  landing, 
and  have  time  to  observe  the  beauty  of  the  place  and 


26  DOWN      THE      LAKE. 

its  rare  adaptation  as  a  summer  resort.  This  site  has 
advantages  that  are  found  nowhere  else  on  the  lake, 
and  travellers  who  have  the  time  will  find  it  much  to 
their  advantage  to  spend  some  days  here.  Note  also 
the  group  of  islands  called  the  Hen  and  Chickens, 
which  lie  near  the  east  shore.  On  the  west  side,  close 
by  Tongue  Mountain,  is  an  island,  the  character  of 
which  may  be  gathered  from  its  name,  —  Flea  Island. 
In  passing  through  the  Narrows,  we  find  ourselves 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  lake,  surrounded  on  every 
side  by  scenes  that  delight  the  eye.  Black  Mountain 
looms  up  directly  before  us.  According  to  baromet- 
rical calculations,  it  is  2,878  feet  above  tide  water,  and 
is  the  highest  mountain  near  the  lake.  It  is  banded 
around  its  sides  with  alternate  lines  of  maple,  pine,  and 
birch,  which  thin  out  by  degrees  as  they  rise,  until, 
two-thirds  of  the  way  up,  the  bare  rocks  chiefly  ap- 
pear, sentinelled  here  and  there  by  a  few  dead  trunks, 
while  the  top  of  the  mountain  stands  out  completely 
divested  of  verdure,  and  dark,  threatening,  and  bare. 
The  view  from  the  summit  is  one  of  much  grand- 
eur. It  is  readily  ascended  with  the  aid  of  a 
guide.  Around  its  scarred  and  rifted  sides,  often 
swept  by  fire,  we  see  the  work  of  time  and  weather, 
which 

"  Down  the  lake  in  masses,  threw 
Crags,  knolls,  and  mounds  confusedly  hurl'd, 
The  fragments  of  an  earlier  world." 

The  next  islands  to  be  noted  are  the  Hatchet  Isl- 
ands, so  called,  from  an  Indian  hatchet  once  found 


DOWN      THE      LAKE.  2f 

there.  On  the  west,  in  the  curved  side  of  Tongue 
Mountain,  close  to  the  shore,  nearer  than  the  steamer 
usually  goes,  is  a  double  echo,  the  sounds  made  there 
being  repeated  from  two  distinct  quarters  at  the  same 
instant. 

On  the  west  shore,  farther  on,  is  Half- Way  Island, 
which  marks  the  centre  of  the  lake,  being  half  way  to 
Ticonderoga.  Beyond  Black  Mountain,  is  next  seen 
the  Sugar  Loaf,  a  spur  of  the  former  mountain,  which 
now  loses  the  symmetrical  and  imposing  aspect  that  it 
presented  from  the  Narrows,  and  seems  to  sink  down, 
at  the  same  time  taking  the  appearance  of  a  formless 
mass  of  rock,  scooped  out  into  deep  ravines.  Some 
persons  fancy  that  in  this  vicinity  they  are  able  to 
detect  a  form  in  the  north  part  of  the  mountain,  which 
resembles  an  elephant's  back,  and  hence  it  has  some- 
times been  called  Elephant's  Ridge.  Along  the  base 
of  this  mountain,  may  be  seen  the  Floating  Battery 
Islands.  Opposite  the  Ridge  is  Harbor  Island,  the 
scene  of  Montcalm's  first  skirmish  with  the  English. 
Next  to  it  is  Vicar's  Island.  On  the  right  appears  the 
little  hamlet  of  Dresden,  nestling  in  Bosom  Bay.  On 
the  west  is  Buck  Mountain,  about  eight  hundred  feet 
high,  the  side  of  which  towards  the  Lake  forms  a  sort 
of  palisade.  At  one  time,  the  deer  were  extremely 
plenty  in  this  entire  neighborhood.  In  1802,  Dr. 
Dwight,  the  grave  divine,  joined  in  the  hunt,  and  cap- 
tured a  deer  in  the  lake.  The  deer  are  usually  hunted 
by  dogs  and  driven  into  the  water,  where  they  are 


28  DOWN       THE       LAKE. 

captured  or  killed.  Buck  Mountain  received  its  name 
from  the  fact,  that  a  buck,  pursued  by  a  hunter  and 
his  dogs,  leaped  from  the  precipice  overhanging  the 
lake,  and  was  literally  impaled  alive  on  a  sharp-pointed 
tree  projecting  below.  Silliman,  when  on  the  lake, 
saw  the  man  who  drove  the  buck.  Chasing  the  ani- 
mal out  of  the  woods,  toward  the  open  place  which 
looks  down  at  such  a  tremendous  height  upon  the  lake 
below,  he  believed  that,  with  the  help  of  his  hounds, 
he  was  sure  of  his  game.  From  afar, 

"  The  hunter  marked  that  mountain  high, 
The  lone  lake's  western  boundary, 
And  deemed  the  stag  must  turn  to  bay, 
Where  that  huge  rampart,  barred  the  way: 
Already,  glorying  in  his  prize, 
Measured  his  antlers  with  his  eyes; 
For  the  death-wound  and  death-halloo, 
Muster'd  his  breath,  his  whinyard  drew." 

But  he  was  disappointed  at  last,  for  the  poor  beast, 
now  driven  to  desperation,  had  less  fear  of  the  preci- 
pice than  of  the  dogs,  and,  reaching  the  brink,  sprang 
forward  into  the  air,  and  descending,  met  his  cruel 
fate  upon  a  sharp  tree  below. 

As  we  sail  on,  Black  Mountain  rises  behind  us,  and 
begins  to  assume  the  symmetry  and  commanding 
height  which  it  completely  loses  while  the  traveller  is 
sailing  under  its  brow.  The  next  place,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  lake,  is  the  projecting  tongue  of  land 
known  as  Sabbath  Day  Point.  This  name  was  given 
to  the  spot  at  an  early  day,  though  for  what  reason  it 


DOWN      THE       LAKE.  29 

is  impossible  now  to  say.  Perhaps  it  was  on  account 
of  the  general  aspect  of  peace  which  usually  prevails. 
Magazine  writers  and  others1  say,  that  the  place  was 
so  called  by  Abercrombie,  in  1758,  when,  as  they  aver, 
he  halted  here  on  Sunday  morning  to  refresh  his 
troops,  before  proceeding  to  attack  Ticonderoga.  But 
a  reference  to  the  almanac  shows  that  it  was  on  a 
"Wednesday,  and  not  on  a  Sunday,  that  he  landed  here. 
Nor,  as  others  say,  was  the  name  given  by  Lord  Am- 
herst  the  year  following.  In  fact,  the  French  officers 
of  Montcalm's  army,  in  their  official  reports,  dated 
one  year  before  Abercrombie  came  to  the  lake, 
call  the  place  Sabbath  Day  Point,  a  name  by  which  it 
was  at  that  time  generally  known  by  both  the  French 
and  English. 


SABBATH     DAY     POINT. 

During  the  Revolution,  it  is  said,  a  fight  occurred 
here  between  some  Militia  and  a  party  of  Tories  and 
Indians.  The  Americans  gained  the  victory,  the 
killed  and  wounded  of  the  enemy  numbering  about 
forty.  The  view  up  the  lake  from  this  point  is  one 
of  rare  beauty.  And  look  —  Black  Mountain  is  now 

(1)— See  Lossing's  Field  Book,  Vol.  L,  p.  115,  N.  2. 


3O  DOWN       THE       LAKE. 

fully  itself  once  more,  lifting  up  its  dark,  but  grace- 
fully defined  peak  in  sharp  contrast  with  the  deep 
blue  sky,  while  all  the  surrounding  parts  of  the  land- 
scape, which  form  the  accessories  of  this  mountain,  sink 
into  their  true  and  subordinate  positions.  Throughout 
the  entire  central  portion  of  the  lake,  Black  Mountain 
seems  to  travel  with  the  tourist,  and  presents  itself 
in  the  midst  of  every  new  view.  The  student  of 
nature  will  be  amply  repaid  by  watching  its  various 
aspects. 

The  point  opposite  Sabbath  Day  Point,  is  Bluff 
Point,  beyond  which,  on  the  east  shore,  are  the  Odell 
Islands ;  while  on  the  west,  about  the  same  distance, 
may  be  seen  the  Scotch  Bonnet.  Two  miles  to  the 
north  of  the  Bonnet,  is  the  little  village  of  Hague, 
where  the  steamer  stops  for  passengers.  Sailing  on 
from  Hague,  we  pass  Cook's  Island  and  then  Friends' 
Point,  where  two  scouting-parties  belonging  to  the 
same  force,  once  met,  and  in  the  darkness  of  the  night 
came  near  firing  upon  one  another.  Two  miles  be- 
low Hague,  on  the  east  shore,  will  be  seen  Anthony's 
Nose,  a  bold  and  lofty  hill,  with  rocks  jutting  out  into 
the  lake.  There  are  three  other  places  in  the  State 
that  bear  the  name  of  the  Old  Saint,  who,  evidently, 
for  some  reason  not  so  clear,  was  a  great  favorite. 
One  is  on  the  Hudson,  forming  the  southern  limit  of 
the  Highlands,  and  two  others  are  situated  on  the 
Mohawk.  At  this  point  may  be  found  the  deepest 
water  of  the  lake.  A  fisherman  in  his  boat  once 


DOWN      T  II  E      LAKE.  3! 

nairrowly  escaped  drowning  in  the  huge  waves  caused 
by  a  rock  that  fell  into  the  lake  from  Anthony's  Nose. 
In  the  hill  opposite,  the  guides  used  to  point  out  a 
dozen  mortars  in  a  solid  rock,  which,  they  avered,  were 
made  by  the  Indians  for  the  purpose  of  pounding  corn. 
Two  miles  farther  down,  on  the  west  shore,  is 
Rogers'  Slide.  This  is  a  steep,  smooth  precipice  of 


ROGEUS'      SLIDE. 

naked  rock,  inclining  at  a  sharp  angle,  in  the  face  of 
the  mountain.  It  forms  a  prominent  object  from  the 
lake,  and,  in  1757,  was  called  "  Bald  Mountain,"  by 
Father  Roubaud,  in  his  Relation.  At  the  foot  of  the. 
Slide  the  water  is  quite  deep.  It  received  its  present 
name,  it  is  alleged,  from  the  fact  that  Rogers  the 
Ranger  was  once  surprised  here  by  the  Indians,  and 
made  his  escape  on  the  ice.  The  latest  version  of  the 
story  runs  somewhat  as  follows  : 

In   the  winter  of   1758   Rogers  was  surprised  by 
some  Indians,  while  out  on  a  scout,  and  put  lo  flight. 


32  DOWN       THE       LAKE. 

Shod  with  snow-shoes,  he  eluded  pursuit,  and,  coming 
to  this  spot,  saved  his  life  by  an  ingenious  device. 
Descending  the  mountain,  until  he  came  to  the  edge 
of  the  precipice,  he  threw  his  haversack  down  upon 
the  ice,  unbuckled  his  snow-shoes,  and,  without  mov- 
ing them,  turned  himself  about,  and  put  them  on  his 
feet  again,  with  the  heels  in  front.  He  then  retreated 
by  the  way  he  came,  until  he  reached  the  southern 
brow  of  the  rock,  where  he  found  a  ravine,  down 
which  he  escaped,  and  sped  away  on  the  ice  towards 
Fort  George.  The  Indians,  in  the  meanwhile,  came 
to  the  spot,  and,  seeing  the  double  set  of  tracks,  con- 
cluded that  they  were  made  by  two  persons  who  had 
thrown  themselves  down  the  cliff,  rather  than  to  fall 
into  their  hands.  But,  on  looking  about,  they  saw 
Rogers  disappearing  in  the  distance  on  the  ice,  and, 
believing  that  he  slid  down  the  cliff,  concluded  that  he 
was  under  the  special  protection  of  the  Great  Spirit. 
They  then  gave  up  the  chase. 

So  runs  the  latest  version  of  the  story.  But,  in 
1802,  the  cliff  was  called  Rogers'  Rock,  not  Rogers' 
Slide.  The  best  account  Dwight  could  get  at  that 
tune,  was,  that  he  escaped  down  a  valley,  and  that  the 
Indians  supposed  he  fell  off  the  precipice.  Dwight's 
guide  told  him  that  one  Colonel  Cochrane  and  several 
others  escaped  in  the  same  way,  and  that  years  after, 
when  surveying  the  land,  he  showed  his  companions  a 
bullet,  fired  at  him  on  this  occasion,  lodged  in  a  tree. 
The  earliest  account,  however,  simply  says,  that  there 


fcOWN      THE      LAKE.  33 

was  a  tradition  that  a  man  once  escaped  from  the 
savages  in  some  such  way-  But  what  is  worse, 
Rogers,  who  is  very  prolix  where  his  own  adventures 
are  concerned,  says  nothing  whatever  about  the 
affair  in  his  journal ;  which  most  persons  will  accept 
as  good  proof  that  it  never  occurred. 

Rogers  was  a  New-Hampshire  man,  whose  brutal 
character  is  illustrated  by  his  deeds.  After  the  French 
war  he  went  to  England,  and  while  there  dined  in 
company  with  some  officers,  who  agreed,  over  their 
wine,  that  the  person  who  could  tell  the  greatest 
falsehood  should  have  his  bill  paid  by  the  others. 
When  Rogers'  turn  came,  he  told  the  company  that 
Ills  father  was  shot  by  a  friend,  who  mistook  him  for  a 
bear  ;  that  his  mother  was  followed  in  the  snow,  on  a 
stormy  day,  by  a  hunter,  who  supposed  he  was  follow- 
ing the  tracks  of  a  panther :  and  that  when  a  small 
boy,  he  travelled  on  foot  in  the  woods,  ten  miles,  with 
birch  brooms  on  his  shoulder,  having  nothing  to  guide 
him  but  marks  on  the  trees.  Judgment  was  at  once 
uproariously  given  in  his  favor  by  the  company.1 

Rogers  returned  to  America  when  the  Revolution 
broke  out,  but  was  suspected  by  Washington  as  a 
spy,  and  could  get  no  employment.  He  eventually 
obtained  a  commission  from  the  English  commander, 
and  raised  a  company  of  Tory  Rangers,  which,  on 
Long  Island  and  elsewhere,  proved  more  or  less  a 
scourge.  He  was  proscribed  by  the  New-Hampshire 

(1)— New  Hampshire  Coll.,  Vol.  i.,  p.  240. 


34  DOWN      THE      LAKE. 

Legislature,  who  decreed  a  divorce  for  his  wife. 
Neither  the  time,  place,  nor  the  manner  of  his  death 
is  given. 

But  while  thus  dwelling  upon  the  story  of  Rogers, 
we  have  been  nearing  the  foot  of  the  lake,  whose 
waters,  at  this  point,  begin  to  shoal.  It  decreases 
hi  depth  until  the  outlet  is  reached,  where  the 
water,  now  somewhat  discolored  by  clay,  passes 
through  a  narrow  creek,  and  tumbles  over  the  falls, 
on  its  way  to  Lake  Champlain,  making  a  descent  of 
about  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  the  course  of  four 
miles.  At  this  end  of  the  lake  there  is  nothing  of 
special  interest  to  detain  the  traveller,  before  proceed- 
ing to  Ticonderoga ;  though  he  will,  of  course,  notice 
the  little  island  called  Prisoners'  Island,  where,  tra- 
dition says,  the  French  sometimes  confined  their  pris- 
oners, and  from  which  a  party  once  escaped  by  wading 
across  a  shallow  place  to  the  main  land,  on  the  west 
shore. 

The  French  called  this  island  Isle  au  Moutonl  It 
probably  made  a  convenient  sheep-fold.  Schuyler 
and  Martin,  who,  in  1758,  were  returned  by  Aber- 
crombie  as  Montcalm's  prisoners  on  the  expiration  of  . 
their  parole,  were  received  on  this  island  by  the 
advanced  guard  of  the  French. 

(1J  — Col.  Doc.,  Vol.  x.  p.  759. 


THE   LAKE  IN  THE   SEASONS. 


CHAPTER      III. 

O  me,  my  pleasant  rambles  by  the  lake, 

My  sweet,  mifd,  fresh  three-quarters  of  a  year, 

My  one  Oasis  in  the  dust  and  drouth 

Of  city  life.  —  Tennyson. 

SPRING  —  SUMMER  —  BOATING  —  ECHOES  —  PROGRESSIVE 
CHANGE  —  SUNRISE  —  SUNSET  —  AUTUMN  —  BLACK  MOUN- 
TAIN —  JEFFERSON  —  INDIAN  SUMMER  —  WINTER  —  ICE. 


HOEVER  desires  to  know  Lake 
George  thoroughly,  will  find  it 
necessary  to  study  all  its  varied 
moods,  which  are  as  changeable 
as  the  sky.  Yet  it  has  certain 
general  characteristics  in  each  of  the  four 
seasons.  The  early  spring  is,  perhaps, 
the  least  interesting  season  of  the  year. 
When  the  snow  disappears,  the  ravages 
of  winter  become  apparent.  The  woods 
everywhere  have  a  black  and  sodden  look.  The 
oaks,  which  retain  their  dusky  foliage  much  longer 
than  the  other  trees,  and  part  with  their  leaves 
as  reluctantly  as  the  belle  loses  her  charms,  are 
now  completely  stripped  ;  and  the  woods,  except 


36        THE      LAKE      IN      THE       SEASONS. 

where  the  evergreen  pine  appears,  wear  an  aspect 
of  extreme  poverty  and  desolation.  The  action  of  the 
frost  is  revealed  even  on  the  rocks. 

Eventually,  the  warm-breathing  air  of  the  south 
comes,  and  the  vegetable  kingdom  feels  the  thrill  of  a 
new  life.  Imperceptibly,  the  tone  of  the  landscape  is 
changed,  and  the  hills,  and  islands,  and  shores,  are 
suffused  with  a  pale,  delicate  emerald  green.  At  this 
time,  a  day  of  genial,  sunny  weatRer  causes  a  sudden 
growth  of  verdure  that  will  transform  the  whole  lake. 
Then  the  water,  which  previously  had  reflected  the 
leafless  trees  and  cheerless  hills,  is  lighted  up  with 
beauty,  and  in  the  sunlight  gleams  with  the  richest 
hues.  Joy  and  gladness  then  seem  to  fill  the  very 
air.  At  this  period  the  showers  on  the  lake  are  very 
fine. 

But  spring  soon  gives  away  to  summer,  which 
rapidly  shoots  up  into  its  green  prime,  when  the 
country  is  thronged  with  visitors  from  every  part  of 
the  United  States.  Lake  George  at  this  time  pre- 
sents the  most  lovely  picture.  The  majority  of  tran- 
sient visitors  congregate  at  Caldwell,  and  here,  all  day 
long,  the  water  is  covered  with  boats  containing  parties 
engaged  in  fishing,  rowing,  and  in  excursions  to  the 
islands.  "We  need  not  go  abroad  on  Italian  lakes,  or 
sail  in  Venetian  gondolas,  in  order  to  witness  pictur- 
esque scenes.  Often  on  Lake  George  the  boating 
parties,  arrayed  in  bright  costumes,  reflected  on  the 
waves,  with  the  accessories  of  green  hills,  blue  skies, 


THE      LAKE      IN      THE      SEASONS.       37 

and  sparkling  water,  form  scenes  that  never  fail  to 
delight  the  artist's  eye.  There  is  no  end  of  song  and 
merry-making.  Under  the  shadow  of  French  Moun- 
tain, from  the  summit  of  which,  in  the  spring  of  1757, 
Rigaud  reconnoitred  Fort  William  Henry,  will  be 
found  a  remarkably  good  echo,  which,  in  a  calm  day, 
will  repeat  with  great  fidelity  all  the  variations  of  the 
bugle  or  flute.  Visitors  often  row  to  this  spot.  It 
is  easily  found,  and  then 

•    •    •    "  Many  a  laugh  and  many  a  shout 
The  busy  echoes  toss  about, 
Till  joyous  with  the  merry  rout 
The  hills  are  pealing." 

To  describe  a  day  of  summer-time  here,  would  be  a 
difficult  task.  From  dawn  until  evening  -the  lake  is 
the  subject  of  progressive  change,  and  is  continually 
going  on  from  glory  to  glory.  Sunrise  often  presents 
a  scene  of  rare  beauty.  In  the  course  of  the  night  the 
mist  accumulates  among  the  hills  and  on  the  surface 
of  the  lake,  and  the  first  act  of  Old  Sol,  is  to  drive  it 
away.  This  is  a  gradual  work.  As  a  range  of  moun- 
tains extends  along  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  we  first 
view  the  light  in  the  sky  overhead,  which  gleams  with 
red  and  gold.  But  as  the  day  advances,  French 
Mountain  doffs  its  nightcap,  and  the  sunbeams,  burst- 
ing through  the  tree-tops,  charge  down  the  declivities 
upon  the  fleecy  fog,  like  angelic  spears.  Unable  to 
withstand  the  assault,  the  misty  battalions  break  and 
fly.  In  due  time  the  work  is  thoroughly  finished,  and 


38        THE       LAKE       IN       THE       SEASONS. 

"  Now  flaming  up  the  heavens,  the  potent  sun 
Melts  iuto  limpid  air  the  high-raised  clouds 
And  morning  fogs,  that  hovered  round  the  hiJIs 
In  parti-colored  bands«j  till  wide  unveiled 
The  lace  of  Nature  shines,  from  where  earth  seems 
Far-stretched  around  to  meet  the  bending  sphere." 

As  the  day  wears  on,  it  is  delightful  to  lounge 
around  the  lake,  watching  its  changeful  mood,  as  its 
surface  is  rippled  by  the  wind,  or  shaded  by  some 
passing  cloud.  About  noon  the  air  will  often  be 
charged  with  a  fine  haze,  which  gives  greater  apparent 
depth  and  distance  to  the  view.  There  is  then  a 
wide  scope  for  the  imagination,  and,  under  its  influence, 
the  mountains  seem  to  increase  in  height,  presenting 
at  the  same  tune  a  softer  outline.  Everything  in  the 
distance  is  seen  through  a  strongly  refracted  light, 
so  that  it  is  often  difficult  to  tell  where  shore  and  water 
meet ;  while  some  of  the  little  transfigured  islands 
appear  as  if  rising  towards  the  sky.  To  the  landscape 
painter,  the  lake  at  such  times  affords  a  rare  study. 
A  gentle  breeze,  however,  is  always  sufficient  to  dispel 
these  effects.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  the  sun  swings 
around  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  when  the  hills 
gradually  extend  their  shadows  along  its  entire  length, 
except  at  Bolton,  ten  miles  down,  where  the  range 
descends,  and  allows  the  King  of  Day  to  fling  his 
beams  with  full  force  across  the  water  upon  the  oppo- 
site mountains.  The  sunset  is  enjoyed  to  its  fullest 
extent  by  the  passengers  who  come  up  the  lake  at  this 
hour  from  Ticonderoga  ;  while  the  view,  looking  down 


THE       LAKE       IN       THE       SEASONS.        39 

from  Caldwell,  is  much  finer  than  in  the  morning. 
There  lie  the  mountains  towards  the  north,  eight  miles 
distant,  vested  in  purple,  each  rock  and  crag  a  gleam- 
ing gem,  while  the  roseate  sky,  barred  with  rich  purple 
and  green,  is  mirrored  on  the  smooth  lake,  which, 
when  ploughed  by  the  homeward-bound  Minnehaha, 
glitters  like  a  sea  of  gold. 

Erelong  the  sun  sinks  to  rest,  and  the  splendor 
fades,  leaving  only  a  deep  purple  glow,  which  gives 
way  to  a  black  pall.  Before  it  is  too  late,  however, 
the  visitor  must  take  a  boat  and  row  out  into  the 
middle  of  the  lake,  to  observe  the  richness  of  the 
shadows  on  the,  water,  and  the  color  of  the  surrounding 
hills.  Then  all  that  is  unsightly  is  obscured,  and  the 
rich  green  of  field  and  wood  becomes  wonderfully 
softened,  and  yet  intensified,  in  the  gloaming  light, 
which  is  now  reflected  wholly  from  above  by  the 
canopy  of  deep  blue.  At  this  time  the  reflection  of 
the  green  hills  gives  the  water  a  beauty  that  the 
artist  strives  in  vain  to  convey,  especially  when  it  is 
marked  by  those  trails  of  light  that  follow  in  the  track 
of  some  belated  boat  or  Indian  canoe.  But  finally 
the  twilight  dies  away,  the  mountains  are  reduced  to 
dusky,  indistinguishable  forms,  and  the  lake  is  left  to 
the  meek-eyed  stars,  which,  here  and  there,  sow  a 
jewel  in  the  wave. 

But  after  all  that  can  be  said  about  summer,  autumn 
is  the  most  beautiful  portion  of  the  year,  though 
few  visitors  linger  to  enjoy  its  glories.  At  this  season, 


40        THE       LAKE       IN       THE       SEASONS. 

Dame  Nature,  like  an  old  coquette,  puts  on  her  most 
gorgeous  robes,  and  strives  to  appear  young.  Hove 
magnificent  the  hues !  The  mountains  appear  all 
aflame  with  glory.  Sunsets  and  rainbows  appear  to 
have  fallen  down  upon  them,  and  all  their  borders 
seem  covered  with  rich  Cashmere  shawls. 

There  is  a  radical  difference  between  the  American 
and  European  autumn.  Indeed,  Tacitus  speaks  of 
some  old  Germans  who  knew  nothing  at  all  about  it. 
Autumn  in  England  and  on  the  continent  appears 
tame,  while  in  America  it  is  the  true  carnival  time. 
The  splendor  of  our  autumn  is  to  be  accounted  for  by 
the  fact  that  in  America  we  have  a  far  greater  variety 
of  forest  trees.  In  France,  for  instance,  there  are 
only  about  forty  species  that  grow  to  the  height  of 
thirty  feet,  while  in  America  there  are  no  less  than 
one  hundred  and  forty.  Around  Lake  George  there 
is  the  usual  variety,  so  that  the  hills  blaze,  and  yet, 
like  the  Burning  Bush,  are  not  consumed.  Here  and 
there  may  sometimes  be  found  only  a  few  varieties, 
and  then,  as  Moir  says  of  the  English  forests  in 
autumn, 

"  The  faded  woods  a  yellow  livery  wear." 

The  west  side  of  Black  Mountain  appears  from  a 
distance  to  have  only  some  maples  and  birches  (the 
latter  predominating)  besides  the  pines ;  hence  it  is 
chiefly  marked  around  its  side  with  zones  of  green  and 
yellow.  But  elsewhere  there  is  no  lack  of  color,  the 


THE       LAKE       IN       THE       SEASONS.        4! 

crimson  and  scarlet  being  of  the  deepest  and  most 
exquisite  hue.  Jefferson  visited  the  lake  in  June,  1791, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Madison,  while  Washington  was 
on  a  southern  tour,  and  improved  a  part  of  his  vaca- 
tion in  the  use  of  his  rod  and  gun,  at  the  same  time 
giving  some  attention  to  natural  history,  a  science  in 
which  he  excelled,  and  which,  but  for  the  claims  of  his 
country,  would  probably  have  occupied  a  much  larger 
portion  of  his  life.  Writing  about  the  botany  of  the 
lake,  he  said  of  the  trees  :  . "  Those  either  unknown 
or  rare  in  Virginia,  were  the  sugar-maple,  in  great 
abundance ;  the  silver  fir,  the  white  pine,  pitch  pine, 
spruce  pine,  a  shrub  with  decumbent  stems  which 
they  call  juniper,  an  aralea,  very  different  from  the 
mundiflora,  with  very  large  clusters  of  flowers,  more 
thickly  set  on  branches,  of  a  deeper  red,  and  a  high 
pink  fragrance.  It  is  the  richest  shrub  I  have  seen. 
The  honeysuckle  of  the  gardens  grows  wild  on  the 
banks  of  Lake  George  ;  the  paper  birch,  an  aspen 
with  a  velvet  leaf,  a  shrub  willow  with  downy  catkins, 
a  wild  gooseberry,  and  a  wild  cherry  with  a  single 
fruit  (not  in  the  bunch  cherry),  and  strawberries  in 
abundance."1 

These  are  some  of  the  trees  and  shrubs  not  found  in 
Virginia,  but  they  form  a  small  portion  of  the  flora  of 
the  lake,  which  the  philosopher  admired  quite  as  much 
as  the  magnificent  pickerel  and  trout.  And  when  the 

(1)  — Jefferson's  \Vorks,  Vol.  iii.  p.  265. 


42        THE       LAKE       IN       THE       SEASONS. 

leaves  ripen,1  the  forests  display  every  conceivable 
color.  It  is  then  a  rare  pleasure  to  watch  the  reflec- 
tions of  the  mountains  on  the  water.  Of  course,  the 
weather  will  not  always  serve  our  purpose.  Cold, 
disagreeable  days  come,  when  we  are  fitly  reminded 
of  the  words  of  Ossian  :  "  Arise,  winds  of  autumn, 
arise :  blow  along  the  heath !  streams  of  the  mountain, 
roar  !  roar,  tempests,  in  the  grove  of  my  oaks  ! " 

Still,  there  are  not  wanting  beautiful  days  when  the 
sky  and  air  are  in  harmony  with  the  resplendent 
hues  of  the  forest,  and  when  the  lake  appears  like 
Gome  sweet  scene  of  enchantment.  Then  the  little 
rich,  russet-colored  isles,  nestling  in  the  shining  lake, 
look  like  apples  of  gold  in  pictures  of  silver,  while  the 
tall,  maple-crowned  hill,  looming  up  in  the  distance, 
seems  a  pyramid  of  fire.  Whoever  takes  two  or  three 
of  these  glorious  days  for  a  trip  down  the  lake,  will 
store  up  in  the  portfolio  of  his  mind  a  succession  of 
beautiful  scenes  that  will  last  for  life. 

And  when  autumn  declines,  and  the  magnificent 
foliage  has  disappeared,  then  comes  the  Indian  Sum- 
mer ;  though  many  persons  unacquainted  with  its  char- 
acteristics place  it  earlier  in  the  season.  It  usually 
occurs  about  All  Saints'  Day,  November  1st,  and  by 
some  of  the  French  who  visited  the  lake  it  was  known 
as  the  Summer  of  All  Saints.  On  the  continent  of 
Europe  it  is  called  the  Summer-Close,  and  in  Eng- 

(1)  —  The  frost  has  nothing  to  do  with  changing  the  co)or  of  tho 
leaves  in  autumn. 


THE       LAKE       IN       THE       SEASONS.        43 

land,  Martin-mass  Summer,  as  the  peasantry  look  for 
it  about  St.  Martin's  Day,  which  falls  on  November 
llth.  This  season  is  marked  by  a  reddish,  hazy, 
quiet  atmosphere,  and  a  slight  rise  in  the  temperature. 
In  the  autumn  the  haze  is  not  always  seen  around  the 
lake.  After  the  September  and  October  rains  the 
sky  is  sometimes  attended  by  a  wondrous  clearness  and 
depth.  We  may  always  measure  the  purity  of  the 
air  by  the  clearness  of  the  reflections  in  the  water. 
When  the  air  is  perfectly  free  from  mist,  the  maple 
torch  flames  as  brightly  in  the  water  of  the  lake  at  your 
feet  as  on  the  rocky  cliff  above  your  head.  But  during 
the  Indian  Summer,  the  lake  is  always  veiled  in  mist. 
Longfellow  happily  describes  it  in  Evangeline  : 

"  Such  was  the  advent  of  autumn.    Then  followed  that  beautiful 

season 

Called  by  the  pious  Acadian  peasants,  the  Summer  of  All  Saints. 
Filled  was  the  air  with  a  dreamy  and  magical  light ;  and  the  landscape 
Lay  as  if  created  in  all  the  freshness  of  childhood. 
Pence  seemed  to  reign  upon  earth,  and  the  restless  heart  of  the  ocean 
Was  for  a  moment  consoled.    All  sounds  were  in  harmony  blended. 
Voices  of  children  at.  play,  the  crowing  of  cocks  in  the  barn-yards, 
Whir  of  wings  in  the  drowsy  air,  and  the  cooing  of  pigeons, 
All  were  subdued  and  low  as  the  murmurs  of  love,  and  the  great  f\in 
Looked  with  the  eye  of  love  through  the  golden  vapors  around  him." 

Many  persons  suppose  that  the  Indian  Summer  is 
distinguished  only  by  a  rise  in  the  temperature ;  and 
when,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  Old  Sol  falls  back  into 
one  of  his  July  dreams,  they  tell  us  that  the  Indian 
Summer  has  come.  But  we  must  observe  more  care- 
fully, as  the  season  brings  no  obtrusive  phenomena. 
We  hailed  it  once  on  Lake  George,  near  Sabbath 


44        THE      LAKE      IN      THE      SEASONS. 

Day  Point.  For  several  days  the  weather  had  been 
unpropitious,  but  at  last  there  came  a  day  when  earth 
seemed  caught  up  into  heaven.  Then  the  landscape 
was  bathed  in  a  warm,  rich  haze,  and  mountain  and 
valley,  and  field  and  upland,  still  crimsoned  with  a 
few  autumnal  tints,  shone  with  a  subdued  but  royal 
splendor.  The  lake  was  covered  with  a  fine  veil  of 
mist,  while  overhead,  the  sky  was  as  blue  as  sapphire. 
The  insects,  invigorated  by  the  genial  warmth,  had 
come  forth  to  add  another  hour  to  their  brief  day  of 
life,  and  were  gaily  chirping  among  the  branches,  or 
skimming  along  the  calm  surface  of  the  lake,  unmind- 
ful of  the  morrow's  frost.  Occasionally  on  the  shore 
could  be  heard  the  voice  of  a  trudging  farmer  driving 
the  patient  ox  ;  but  these  were  all  the  sounds  that 
broke  the  stillness.  Black  Mountain  towered  above 
the  lake,  having  an  almost  supernatural  aspect,  while 
the  whole  landscape  appeared  invested  with  a  vague, 
dreamy  life,  so  that  there  was  an  almost  irresistible 
temptation  to  accept  the  transcendental  definition  of 
the  universe  as  "  a  projection  of  God  in  the  uncon- 
scious." It  was  the  Indian  Summer.  And  days  like 
these  are  few  and  brief;  yet  if  they  vanish  like  a  beau- 
tiful dream,  they  give  us  a  lovely  night.  As  Whittier 
writes : 

"  From  gold  to  gray, 
Our  mild  sweet  day 
Of  Indian  Summer  fades  too  soon ; 
But  tenderly, 
O'er  lake  and  lea, 
.         llaugs,  white  mid  calm,  the  Hunter's  Moon." 


THE      LAKE      IN      THE       SEASONS.       45 

Winter  is  a  northern  word  that  was  first  used  to 
denote  the  period  of  windy  weather.  It  now  stands 
for  different  things  in  different  latitudes.  How  unlike 
is  winter  at  the  equator  and  the  poles.  In  one  case 
it  is  the  season  of  night  and  frost,  and  in  the  other,  of 
sunshine  and  flowers,  and  eternal  spring.  In  some 
regions,  lying  within  the  torrid  zone,  winter  surpasses 
all  other  portions  of  the  year  in  loveliness.  There 
the  traveller  fails  to  witness  the  grand  march  of  the 
seasons ;  there  he  sees  no  changeful  autunm  and  no 
general  decay.  Nature  undergoes  an  imperceptible 
renovation,  and  is  always  in  her  green  prime,  though, 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  the  heat  increases,  and 
the  leaves  seem  to  droop.  At  such  times  the  air  is 
often  stifling,  and  the  entire  animal  creation  feels  a 
sense  of  oppression.  Erelong,  however,  the  clouds 
gather,  the  blinding  flash  comes,  followed  by  the 
thunder's  peal,  and  then  the.  sky  sends  down  the  wel- 
come rain.  But  soon  the  tempest  dies  away,  and  the 
sun  looks  out  upon  the  reviving  earth  and  smiles. 
And  this  is  winter.  Here  in  the  .tropics 

"  The  seasons  alter:  hoary-headed  frosts 
Fall  in  the  fresh  lap  of  the  crimson  rose, 
And  on  Old  Iliem's  thin  and  icy  crown 
An  odorous  chaplct  of  sweet  summer  buds 
Is  as  in  mockery  set." 

But  at  Lake  George,  as  the  reader  may  surmise, 
the  seasons  follow  in  their  appointed  course.  Early 
in  November  the  trees  are  nearly  laid  bare,  while 


46        THE      LAKE      IN      THE      SEASONS. 

fleets  of  crisped  leaves,  rich  and  varied  in.  their  hues, 
are  launched  by  the  wind  upon  the  shimmering  lake, 
where  they  voyage  for  a  brief  time  like  mimic  argo- 
sies and  gay  gondolas,  and  then  sink  to  the  bottom 
with  Montcalm's  boats  and  Abercrombie's  batteaux. 
Then  the  farmers  bring  home  from  the  field  the  remains 
of  their  crops,  and  prepare  for  the  cold  weather,  which 
is  a  season  of  isolation ;  while  the  boys  improve  the 
occasion  to  lay  in  their  stores  of  nuts,  and  beat  about 
the  woods  with  their  guns  in  search  of  game.  About 
Christmas  the  lake  is  frozen  over,  and  by  New  Year's 
day  its  surface  is  transformed  into  a  solid  marble  high- 
way. In  the  meanwhile  the  snow  has  fallen,  and  the 
mountains  —  vested  in  October  with  such  magnificent 
robes  —  are  sheeted  in  white  from  base  to  summit. 
The  sleigh-bells  resound  along  the  roads  and  on  the 
lake,  a  slippery  course  where  all  may  enter  free.  The 
wood-cutter  improves  this  season  to  get  wood  and 
timber  from  the  islands,  which  the  sharply-shod  oxen 
draw  home  on  sleds.  In  the  sheltered  coves  the 
skater  enjoys  his  sport  without  fear,  as  the  intense 
cold  which  prevails  in  this  season,  gives  a  great 
thickness  of  ice.  It  is  a  merry  season.  Go  forth 
upon  the  banks  of  the  lake,  and  you  will  hear 
the  joyous  shout  and  see  the  blazing  bonfire.  As 
Percival  says : 

• '  Below  me  rings  the  lake, 

The  etarg  above  me  bum ; 
Away  the  skaters  break, 
And  glide,  and  wheel,  and  turn." 


THE       LAKE       IN       THE       SEASONS.        47 

The  water  at  this  time  rises  nearly  two  .feet  above 
the  summer  level,  which  fact  is  duly  registered  upon 
the  rocks. 

In  March  the  ice  begins  to  soften  and  break  up,  but 
it  does  not  dissolve  so  rapidly  as  on  Lake  Champlain, 
where  its  sudden  disappearance  leads  some  of  the 
farmer-folk  to  imagine  that  it  sinks  to  the  bottom. 
Before  the  ice  parts,  and  indeed  at  intervals  during 
the  whole  winter,  it  gives  out  loud  reports.  This, 
however,  is  not  peculiar  to  Lake  George.  Southey 
speaks  of  it  in  his  journal,  under  date  of  Feb.  1, 
1814.  He  says  the  noise  was  "neither  like  thunder 
nor  the  sound  of  wind,  but  a  long,  moaning,  mel- 
ancholy sound,  rising  and  dying  away,  beyond 
measure  mournful."  He  adds,  as  we  can  well 
believe,  that  to  any  one  crossing  the  ice,  "  it  is 
inexpressibly  awful  and  appalling."  So  Wordsworth 
writes : 

"  From  under  Estbwaito's  splitting  fields  of  ice 
The  pent-up  air,  struggling  to  free  itself, 
Gave  out  to  meadow,  ground,  and  hill,  a  loud 
Protracted  yelling,  like  the  noise  of  wolves 

Ilowling  in  troops  along  the  Bothnia  main." 

• 

• 

This  resemblance  to  the  howling  of  wolves  has  been 
noticed  by  others.  Southey,  in  his  journal  above 
quoted,  says  that  his  children  suggested  the  idea  when 
they  heard  it.  Whoever  would  judge  for  himself 
must  not  be  content  with  a  brief  summer  trip  to  the 


48        THE      LAKE      IN      THE      SEASONS. 

lake,  but  must  live  here  all  the  year  round.  The 
artist,  at  least,  might  possibly  conclude  about  Lake 
George  as  Philip  Hamerton  did  of  Loch  Awe  : 


'  I  passed  Loch  Awe  as  tourists  do, 
Catching  glimpses  here  and  there, 
Of  the  scenes  we  posted  through ; 

With  companions  full  of  care 
About  the  comforts  of  the  iiins, 
And  about  to-morrow's  fare. 

Thus  the  soul,  to  try  it,  wins 
Glimpses  of  its  Paradise. 
'Twas  a  judgment  for  my  sins : 

Yet  a  judgment  making  wise, 

For  I  went  another  year 

To  work  alone,  and  settled  there." 


AMONG    THE    ISLANDS. 


CHAPTER     IT. 

• 

To  burst  all  link  of  habit  —  then  to  wander  far  away, 
Ou  from  island  unto  island,  at  the  gateways  of  the  day. 

—  Tennyson. 

ATLANTIS— ST.  BRANDON  — LOCH  AWE  — LAKE  GEORGE  — 
EXPLORING  —  SCOUTING  —  RECLUSE  —  DOME  ISLAND  — 
CAMPING  OUT  —  TENNYSON'S  "  ISLET  "  —  EXPLORING  — 
MIRAGE  —  BOATING  —  VIEGIL  —  LOCH  KATRINE— SHELV- 
ING ROCK  FALL. 


HE  subject  of  islands  has  pos- 
sessed a  peculiar  charm  in  all 
ages  of  the  world.  It  was 
on  an  island  that  the  ancients 
located  the  abode  of  happy 
departed  spirits.  Their  dreams 
of  that  favored  place  were  col- 
ored by  the  rose.  The  Odyssey, 
describing  the  fabled  Atlantis, 
says  :  "  There  the  life  of  mortals 
must  be  easy  ;  there  is  no  snow, 
nor  winter,  nor  much  rain,  but  ocean  is  ever  sending 
up  the  shrilly-breathing  zephyrus  to  refresh  man."  In 
those  days  islands  were  not  always  stationary.  Delos, 


50  AMONG      THE      ISLANDS. 

celebrated  as  the  birthplace  of  Apollo,  once  floated 
under  the  sea.  And  later,  St.  Brandon  was  a  flying 
island,  which  gyrated  somewhere  west  of  the  Canaries. 
It  figured  in  all  the  maps  at  the  time  of  Columbus,  and 
was  retained  on  a  French  chart  in  1755.  This  imagin- 
ary island  was  named  after  a  Scotch  abbot  of  the  sixth 
century,  who  undertook  to  find  the  Islands  of  Paradise. 
Several  expeditions  went  in  search  of  the  Abbot's  isle, 
one  party  sailing  from  Spain  in  1721.  It  was  gener- 
ally- believed  to  be  the  retreat  of  their  lost  King 
Roderigo.  There,  also,  was  located  the  garden  of 
Armida,  where-  Rinaldo  remained  enchanted. 

But  we  can  readily  excuse  the  enchantment.  Ri- 
naldo would  have  been  enchanted  almost  anywhere 
among  the  islands  of  Lake  George,  which  are  unsur- 
passed for  beauty.  They  vary  in  size,  some  being  no 
larger  than  that  island  of  Shakspeare,  which  the  jest- 
ing sailor  consigned  to  the  Duke's  pocket,  while  others 
cover  a  considerable  extent.  Occasionally  they  afford 
standing-room  for  no  more  than  a  single  tree,  though 
at  other  times  supporting  a  good  sized  forest.  They 
occur  singly,  in  pairs,  and  in  groups,  and  are  scattered 
all  through  the  lake.  At  the  Narrows  they  nearly 
block  up  the  passage.  But  how  shall  we  account  for 
the  islands  ? 

The  peasants  around  Loch  Awe,  as  we  are  told  by 
Philip  Hamerton,1  held  that  the  islands  in  that  lake 

(1)  — Sec  Isles  of  Loch  A  wo. 


AMONG      THE      ISLANDS.  51 

were  the  crests  of  pastoral  hills  which  rose  in  Arca- 
dian valleys  ages  long  ago.  One  Bera,  a  coarse 
Diana,  owned  the  vale,  and  it  was  her  nightly  duty  to 
cover  a  spring,  in  the  neighboring  mountain,  with  a 
huge  stone.  This  precaution  being  neglected,  it  would 
result  in  the  overflow  of  the  spring  and  the  inundation 
of  the  valley.  But  on  one  occasion  Bera  left  the 
spring  uncovered.  The  next  morning,  to  her  utter 
dismay,  a  fearful  cataract  burst  forth  and  submerged 
the  valley,  leaving  the  lesser  hills  with  their  tops  just 
above  the  flood.  And 

"  So  was  the  peaceful  valley  of  the  Awe 
Flooded  and  drowned  forever.    Ask  no  more." 

This  tradition  tells  us  of  a  geological  fact,  and 
equally  indicates  the  origin  of  the  Isles  of  both  Lake 
George  and  Loch  Awe.  Where  our  lake  now  lies 
was  once  an  empty  valley,  barred  with  low  hills  built 
of  the  primitive  rock,  with  which  the  valley  is  floored. 
When  the  rain  period  set  in  —  ages  long  ago  —  the 
streams  ran  down  the  sides  of  the  naked  hills  and 
filled  up  the  valley.  At  first  the  islands  were 

"  Barren  rocks 

Glittering  with  white  quartz  crystals  here  and  there, 
Scattered  like  spots  of  snow  upon  the  hills;  " 

but,  eventually,  what  the  geologist  calls  the  "  drift " 
period  dawned,  and  a  mighty  deluge  then  swept  over 
the  whole  country,  rising  above  the  tops  of  the  highest 
mountains,  and  covering  hill  and  valley  with  deposits 


52  AMONG      THE      ISLANDS. 

of  loose  earth,  gravel,  and  sand.  When  the  flood 
passed  away,  and  the  lake  was  drained  down  to  its 
former  level,  the  islands  emerged  again,  though  the 
most  of  them  were  now  covered  with  a  deep  soil,  from 
which  sprang  the  green  groves  of  beech,  and  oak,  and** 
pine.  But  for  the  barrier  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
lake,  the  space  it  occupies  would  have  become  a 
rich,  populated  valley.  But  now  we  see 

"  The  town  unbuilt,  the  mountain  barriers  closed, 
And  all  the  concave  valley  with  its  park, 
Embattled  hall,  and  avenues  of  oak, 
And  hundred  farms,  a  sheet  of  silent  water." 

On  the  whole,  however,  no  one  is  a  loser.  Lakes  like 
Lake  George  have  frequently  been  called  the  eyes  of 
the  landscape;  and  surely  the  utilitarian  could  not 
have  the  heart  to  put  them  out. 

The  work  of  exploring  the  islands  is  one  that  might 
well  occupy  the  most  of  an  ordinary  vacation,  though 
it  is  not  a  work  that  would  compensate  the  class  of 
persons  who  incline  to  lounge  away  the  summer  on 
the  piazza  of  the  hotel.  Good  views  may  be  had 
from  his  easy-going  carriage,  even  by  the  invalid,  but 
to  see  and  know  the  islands  thoroughly,  we  must  use 
a  pair  of  oars.  For  the  most  part  they  remain  sub- 
stantially as  they  were  two  hundred  years  ago,  and  it 
is  not  a  difficult  task  for  the  tourist,  with  the  records 
of  the  olden  times  before  him,  to  "  conjure  up  again 
the  evanished  shapes  .  .  ;  people  these  isles,  this 
rock ;  and  cause,  by  might  of  spirit  and  power,  the 


AMONG      THE      ISLANDS.  53 

old  times  to  flit  by,  clearly  and  truly."  He  will 
thus  live  over  the  past  in  the  society  of  Father 
Roubaud,  Chevalier  St.  Ours,  Montcalm,  Rogers, 
Putnam,  and  scores  of  other  brave  and  adventurous 
spirits. 

Between  the  years  1755  and  1760,  scouting  among 
the  islands  was  almost  a  distinct  branch  of  the  military 
profession,  and  the  "  Rangers,"  as  they  were  called, 
proceeded  from  point  to  point,  in  small  parties,  camp- 
ing and  fighting  as  they  went.  The  traces  of  their 
stockades  and  camps  have  in  most  cases  passed  away, 
yet  we  can  row  from  isle  to  isle,  and  follow  them  in 
their  adventures  with  the  utmost  certainty. 

From  the  pivotal  positions  afforded  by  the  islands, 
we  may  obtain  the  best  views  of  the  scenery.  On  the 
north  shore  of  Recluse  Island,  the  view  is  had  in  its 
perfection.  Tongue  Mountain  rises  a  little  to  the  left ; 
directly  in  front,  the  Narrows  partially  unbar  their 
beautiful  gates  ;  Shelving  Rock  and  Dome  Island — the 
latter  rejoicing  in  its  green  crown — lift  themselves  on 
the  right;  while  Black  Mountain  looms  grandly  in  the 
distance.  Nothing  could  be  more  exquisite  than  the 
view  which  is  here  enjoyed,  and  the  proprietor  of  the 
island  has  shown  the  most  excellent  taste  in  building 
his  summer  cottage  on  this  romantic  spot. 

Dome  Island,  mentioned  above  with  Green  Island, 
stands  higher  above  the  water  than  all  the  rest.  The 
latter  is  heavily  wooded  with  beech,  birch,  hemlock, 
pir.e,  and  other  trees,  and  offers  a  splendid  site  for  a 


54 


AMONG       THE       ISLANDS. 


summer  home,  where,  through  the  loop-holes  in  the 
dense  wood,  the  eye  is  delighted  with  the  ever-chang- 
ing beauty  of  the  lake.  Yet  in  the  centre  of  the 
island  it  would  be  easy  for  one  to  imagine  himself  in 
the  heart  of  some  forest  thousands  of  miles  away  ;  and 
the  lover  of  solitude  is  as  secluded  and  free  from  intru- 
sion as  Cicero,  when  meditating  among  the  wild  old 
woods  of  the  Island  of  Astura,  on  the  shore  of  the 
Tyrrhenian  Sea. 

On  any  of  the  islands  in  the  central  parts  of  the 
lake,  the  fisherman  or  the  artist  will  find  most  excel- 


lent spots  to  pitch  his  summer  tent.  If  the  weather 
should  not  always  prove  propitious,  it  will  at  least 
appear  that 

"  A  summer  night  in  greenwood  spent, 
U'ere  but  to-morrow's  merriment." 

Even  in  a  pelting  storm  the  woodsman  will  find  a  safe 


AMONG      THE      ISLANDS.  55 

covert,  and  from  his  seat  at  the  cosy  camp-fire  he  can 
look  out  on  the  misty  lake,  blistered  by  the  rain,  with 
entire  unconcern.  The  islands  here  are  quite  unlike 
that  pictured  by  Tennyson,  in  his  poem  of  the  "  Islet." 
The  little  singer's  wife  could  not  say : 

"  For  in  all  that  exquisite  isle,  my  dear, 
There  is  but  one  bird  with  a  musical  throat, 
And  his  compass  is  but  of  a  single  note, 
That  it  makes  me  weary  to  hear." 

It  is  the  charm  of  the  islands  that  there  is  no 
monotony.  The  lake  is  a  kaleidoscope  that  is  never 
at  rest.  It  speaks  eloquently  of  mutation  in  both 
sunshine  and  storm ;  and  here  it  is  easy  to  believe, 
with  the  Ettrick  Shepherd,  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  bad  weather.  Whoever,  therefore,  wishes  to  enjoy 
himself  to  the  utmost,  should  take  to  his  oars,  and  go 
forth  a  sort  of  Vasco  de  Gama  upon  this  inland  sea, 
and  explore  the  islands  in  their  order,  taking  from 
each,  as  he  passes,  a  tithe  of  arrow  or  spear-heads  as 
souvenirs  of  the  voyage.  He  will  find,  as  he  goes  on, 
that  nearly  every  island  is  a  lifting  up  of  the  lake's 
floor,  which  slopes  away  from  the  rock-strewn  strand 
into  the  clear  sunlit  depths  below,  the  home  of  the  bass, 
and  pike.  Sometimes,  when  a  mirage  invests  the  lake, 
they  seem  to  mock  approach ;  and  on  a  windy  day, 
when  the  waves  break  on  the  rocks,  they  are  liable  to 
knock  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  your  boat ;  but,  plumed 
as  they  are  with  green  trees,  they  usually  wave  a  wel- 
come from  afar,  and  invite  the  weary  to  repose  under 
the  shade  of  wide-spread  natural  tents. 


56  AMONG      THE      ISLANDS. 

Nothing  could  be  more  charming  than  to  idle  for  a 
day  on  Lake  George.  For  this  purpose,  a  sail-boat  is 
not  always  desirable.  The  breeze  is  sometimes  too 
fickle  to  be  trusted.  The  dead  calm  is  often  followed 
by  the  fitful  gust  or  heavy  squall,  which  rushes  down 
from  hill-side  and  mountain.  On  the  whole  it  is  better 
for  those  unused  to  sails  to  depend  upon  oars,  since 
while  these  last,  a  good  boat  is  safe  in  any  weather. 
Whoever  takes  the  time  to  row  around  the  lake  will 
feel  amply  rewarded.  Whenever  he  tires  of  the  oar, 
numberless  sweet  retreats  will  invite  him  to  rest.  If 
a  brief  summer  shower  overtakes  him,  he  can  find 
temporary  protection  under  the  shaggy  pines  and  jutting 
cliffs ;  and  when  the  sun  looks  out,  he  may,  at  times, 
view  the  most  magnificent  rainbows  spanning  the  lake 
from  shore  to  shore.  If  weary  of  gazing,  the  fishing- 
rod  awaits  the  disciple  of  Izaak  Walton,  who  will  soon 
find  that  the  lake  keeps  some  of  its  sweetest  thoughts 
"  expressed  in  trout."  If  his  strength  fails,  the  pass- 
ing steamer  will  take  him  on  board,  and  tow  his  boat 
home.  And  if  he  should  find  himself  belated  some 
night,  he  will  have  no  cause  to  complain  of  the  moon- 
light or  the  stars  ;  while  every  farm-house  on  the  shore 
will  prove  as  hospitable  as  a  hotel. 

In  voyaging  amid  these  beautiful  islands,  one 
familiar  with  the  early  records  will  wonder  that  the 
scenery  made  so  little  impression  upon  those  who 
traversed  the  lake.  The  loveliness  of  the  scenery  is 
never  alluded  to,  and  from  such  accounts  as  those  of 


AMONG       THE       ISLANDS.  57 

Father  Roubaud,  it  would  be  easy  to  conclude  that 
the  writer  was  sailing  on  a  common  pond.  The  men 
of  those  days  were  completely  absorbed  in  thoughts  of 
war  and  trade,  and  from  their  pens  Lake  St.  Sacra- 
ment does  not  gain  the  poorest  tribute.  And  yet 
writers  like  Bancroft  now  often  pause  in  the  midst  of 
grave,  historical  narrations,  to  portray,  here  and  there, 
some  charming  scene  which  has  riveted  their  attention 
and  caused  an  exclamation  of  surprise.  How  beauti- 
fully does  he  speak  of  the  crystal  waves,  the  breezy 
isles,  and  the  mountains  stepping  down  to  the  shores. 
He  says,  "  Peacefully  rest  the  waters  of  Lake  George 
between  their  rampart  of  highlands.  In  their  pellucid 
depths,  the  cliffs,  and  the  hills,  and  the  trees  trace  their 
image,  and  the  beautiful  region  speaks  to  the  heart, 
teaching  affection  for  nature."1  And  yet  this  "  affection 
for  nature,"  as  we  have  already  remarked,  was  some- 
thing rare  in  early  times.  There  seems  to  be  a  period 
in  the  history  of  all  nations,  when  the  finest  exhi- 
bitions of  nature  have  no  power  to  excite  admiration. 
We  find  that  the  lovely  lakes  of  England,  Ireland  and 
Scotland,  were  wholly  unappreciated  by  the  best  of 
the  old  writers.  Even  the  early  English  poets  are 
dumb  on  the  subject  of  Windermere,  Loch  Awe,  and 
Killarney.  During  the  fifteenth,  sixteenth,  and  seven- 
teenth centuries,  those  beautiful  regions  were  well 
known,  but  they  had  no  message  for  the  most  culti- 

(1)  — Hist.,  Vol.  iv.  p.  259. 


58  AMONG      THE      ISLANDS. 

vated  minds.  It  was  so  with  the  Italian  Lakes  even 
in  the  Augustan  Age.  Virgil,  who  was  horn  near  the 
shores  of  Como,  only  says  : 

"  Our  spacious  lakes;  thee,  Larius  [Como];  and  next 
Bernacus,  with  tempestuous  billows  vox't."i 

And  yet  the  lakes  have  no  lack  of  admirers  now ; 
while  at  Lake  George  the  tide  of  travel  is  increasing 
every  year.  Men  of  taste  who  have  frittered  away 
much  time  at  the  hackneyed  waiering-places  scattered 
throughout  the  country,  often  feel  like  the  author  of 
the  following  lines,  who  says, 

"  0  timid  heart!  with  thy  glad  throbs 

Some  self-reproach  is  blended, 

At  the  long  years  that  died  before, 

The  sight  of  scene  so  splendid." 

One  does  not  know,  when  on  the  lake,  what  feature 
to  admire  most.  It  is  a  feast  of  beauty  all  the  way 
through.  Willis  declares  that  in  this  respect,  as  well 
as  others,  it  excels  Loch  Katrine.  Speaking  on  this 
point  he  says,  "  Loch  Katrine  at  the  Trosachs,  is  a 
miniature  likeness  of  Lake  George.  It  is  the  only 
lake  in  Europe  that  has  at  all  the  same  style  and 
degree  of  beauty.  .  .  .  Loch  Katrine  can  scarcely  be 
called  picturesque,  except  at  the  Trosachs,  while  Lake 
George  throughout  all  the  mazes  of  its  .  .  islands, 
preserves  the  same  wild  .  .  character  of  beauty." 
Indeed,  one  always  feels  that  the  last  view  is  the  best. 

(1)  — Georg.  ii.,  1. 159. 


AMONG      THE      ISLANDS.  59 

We  have  spoken  of  camping  out  on  the  islands,  but 
this  mode  of  life  is  not  imperative.  On  Fourteen 
Mile  Island,  opposite  Bolton,  is  a  good  hotel,  sur- 
rounded by  many  attractions.  Near  by  is  the  sweet- 
est waterfall  to  be  found  around  the  lake.  It  is  easily 
reached  in  boating.  Shelving  Rock  Fall  is  situated 
on  a  small  stream  which  empties  into  Shelving  Rock 
Bay,  about  a  mile  south  of  Fourteen  Mile  Island.  It 
is  found  a  few  rods  from  the  beach,  and  all  its  accesso- 
ries have  been  arranged  by  nature  with  admirable 
artistic  effect.  Shelving  Rock  Fall  is  not  a  Niagara, 
even  in  miniature,  —  and  in  the  White  Mountain 
region,  where  numberless  cascades  leap  down  the  hill- 
sides, and  bound  from  crag  to  crag,  our  little  fall  would 
be  passed  without  notice ;  yet  it  is  a  perfect  gem,  and  at 
Lake  George,  where  cascades  are  not  numerous,  it  is 
fully  appreciated.  Silently  flowing  out  from  its  covert 
of  dark  green  foliage,  the  stream  glides  along  its  stony 
bed  until  it  meets  a  large  boulder,  when  it  divides  into 
two  parts  and  springs  foaming  down  the  declivity, 
uniting  again  before  reaching  its  basin  below,  from 
whence  it  flows,  singing  and  shimmering  towards  the 
tranquil  lake.  This  is  one  of  the  most  charming  spots 
on  the  lake  for  a  picnic,  and  well  repays  the  tourist 
for  the  time  spent  on  a  trip  among  the  islands. 


IN     GENERAL. 

CHAPTER      V. 

"  The  fragment*,  scraps,  the  bits  and  greasy  relics."—  TroU-us. 

THE  OLD  MAN  or  THE  FORT  — RATTLESNAKES  — RELICS  — 
JACQUES  COURTOIS — LAKE  DEPOSITS  —  AN  OLD  VESSEL 
—  INDIAN  GRAVES  —  A  NEPISTINGUE  BURIAL  —  FISH  — 
FISHING  —  SHOOTING  —  SQUIRRELS  —  GEOLOGY  —  GEMS. 

NTIQUITIES    in   general  is   a 
subject  that  must  not  be  omitted 
in  the  account  of  Lake  George, 
especially  at  the   present   time, 
when  there  is  a  revived  interest 
in  everything  ancient,  and  when 
so  many  individuals  are  glad  to 
enter  upon  "the  constant  service 
of  the  antique  world."     This  depart- 
ment is  interesting,  if  not  very  exten- 
sive,  and   has    always    engaged    the 
attention    of    some  one   of    the    odd 
characters  that  haunt  the  lake. 

In  1830,  there  was  a  person  of  this  sort  at  Caldwell, 
known  as  "  The  Old  Man  of  the  Fort."  He  came  orig- 
inally from  Massachusetts,  and  had  known  the  lake 


INGENERAL.  6l 

during  forty-five  of  his  seventy-six  years  of  existence. 
"  Old  Dick,"  as  he  was  often  called,  knew  just  where 
to  find  the  rattlesnakes,  which  were  very  plentiful  on 
Cobble  Hill  and  Black  Mountain,  though  they  are 
rare  enough  now.  He  carried  on  quite  a  thriving 
trade  in  rattlesnakes,  and  used  to  practice  the  difficult 
art  of  extracting  their  fangs.  He  often  travelled  up 
and  down  the  lake  on  the  steamboat,  where  he  kept  a 
box  of  snakes  for  exhibition.  On  his  box  was  the 
following  inscription :  "  In  this  box  ar  a  Rattell  Snaick 
Hoo  was  Kecht  on  Blak  Mounting.  He  is  seven 
years  old  last  Guly.  Admittance  sixpents  site,  chil- 
dren half  price  or  nothen."  The  latter  clause  he 
thought  extremely  witty. 

The  Old  Man  of  the  Fort  has  left  no  successor,  yet 
there  are  several  persons  known  as  rattlesnake  hunters ; 
one  of  whom  usually  gets  up  quite  a  little  stock  of 
antiquities  every  year  to  dispose  of  to  the  summer 
visitors.  There  is  but  very  little  doubt  about  the 
genuine  character  of  these  specimens.  A  diligent 
search  would  result  in  the  discovery  of  many  objects 
of  interest.  The  grounds  around  the  village  of  Cald- 
well  are  full  of  mementos  of  the  past.  Scarcely  a  foot 
of  soil  can  be  upturned  without  bringing  to  light  some 
relic  of  the  French  and  English  wars.  In  excavating 
for  cellars,  the  laborer's  spade  uncovers  the  grave  of 
both  soldier  and  savage,  who  often  found  promiscuous 
sepulture.  Around  Fort  George  may  be  dug  up  frag- 
ments of  bombshell,  together  with  a  variety  of  souve- 


62  IN       GENERAL. 

nirs  of  a  similar  character,  collections  of  which  may  be 
seen  in  the  museums  of  the  hotels.  The  site  of  what 
is  called  the  Old  French  Bury  ing- Ground  is  still 
pointed  out  near  the  foot  of  Rattlesnake  Cobble.  The 
ground  has  frequently  been  examined  by  those  inter- 
ested in  the  antiquities  of  the  lake,  and  the  owner  was 
finally  obliged  to  prohibit  investigations.  At  one  time 
there  was  a  stone  standing  on  this  spot  inscribed, 
"Jacques  Courtois,  1755."1  A  brief  biography,  indeed. 
It  indicates  that  he  lived  and  died.  He  was,  perhaps, 
attached  to  Dieskau's  army  in  some  capacity,  and 
came  from  sunny  France  to  America  with  many  high 
anticipations.  "Wealth,  honor,  and  renown,  all  floated 
before  his  eyes,  but  he  found,  like  multitudes  of  his 
countrymen,  only  a  bloody  grave. 

There  are  numberless  treasures  in  the  lake,  where 
they  are  at  present  likely  to  remain.  During  the 
French  war  and  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  hundreds 
of  boats,  batteaux,  and  small  craft,  were  destroyed  in  a 
single  day.  Some  were  burned  and  others  sunk. 
Many  vessels,  loaded  with  war  material,  went  down 
in  deep  water,  where  the  diver  would  to-day  find 
whole  batteries  of  rusty  cannon,  and  muskets  without 
number.  Within  a  recent  period  the  fisherman  has 
seen  here  and  there,  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  bat- 

(1)  —  April  11, 1754,  six  French  deserters  came  to  Albany  from  Ni- 
agara, by  the  way  of  Oswego.  Among  them  wns  "Jean  Baptiste  do 
Cortois  "  (French  Comtc).  It  is  possible  that  this  is  the  same  person. 
Tl:c  French  deserters  often  enlisted  in  English  regiments.  Col.  Doc. 
vi.  p.  832. 


IN       GENERAL.  63 

teaux.  apparently  filled  with  barrels,  while  others  say 
they  have  seen  cannon.  Artillery,  shot,  and  shell 
were  frequently  secreted  in  the  lake,  as  well  as  on  the 
land,  by  both  the  French  and  English,  and  much  of 
this  material  remains  where  it  was  deposited.  Aber- 
crombie  sunk  a  large  vessel  of  one  hundred  tons,  near 
Fort  William  Henry,  to  keep  her  from  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  This  vessel  was  afterwards 
raised,  and  employed  by  Lord  Amherst  in  1759.  The 
hull  of  a  large  vessel  is  still  seen  in  fair,  calm  weather, 
and  appears  to  be  nearly  full  of  cobble-stones,  prob- 
ably ballast.  There  the  old  craft  has  lain  for  an 
entire  century, 

"  Docked  in  the  sand 
Vailing  her  high  top  lower  than  her  ribs 
To  kiss  her  burial." 

9 

The  spot  where  this  hulk  may  be  seen .  is  near  the 
steamboat-landing,  and  can  be  found  only  when  the 
lake  is  perfectly  calm  and  the  sky  clear.  Many  years 
ago  one  of  the  residents  of  Caldwell  undertook  to  raise 
the  interesting  relic,  but  failed,  being  able  to  get  up 
only  a  portion  of  the  timber  of  the  bows.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  say  what  vessel  this  was,  or  whether  it  was 
built  by  the  French  or  English.  Perhaps  it  is  the 
remains  of  the  "  Halifax,"  a  vessel  that  Lord  Amherst 
took  with  him  in  his  expedition  against  Ticonderoga, 
in  1759.  It  is  not  too  late  to  save  what  is  still  left, 
yet  the  keel  of  this  old  craft  will  never  plough  the 
lake  again.  Near  Hague,  on  the  shore  of  the  lake, 


64  IN       GENERAL. 

may  be  seen  the  remains  of  the  steamer  John  Jay, 
which  was  destroyed  by  fire.  On  this  occasion  several 
lives  were  lost. 

Around  the  lake  may  be  found  numerous  relics  of 
the  Indians,  such  as  stone  knives,  hatchets,  and  arrow- 
heads. On  Recluse  Island  a  number  of  the  latter 
have  been  picked  up,  together  with  fragments  of  the 
material  from  which  they  are  made,  which  shows  that 
the  place  was  once  the  site  of  an  Indian  dwelling, 
and  that 

"  There  the  ancient  arrow-maker 
Made  his  arrow-heads  of  sandstone  — 
Arrow-heads  of  chalcedony  — 
Arrow-heads  of  flint  aud  jasper, 
Smoothed  and  sharpened  at  the  edges, 
Hard  and  polished,  keen  and  costly." 

Indian  graves,  except  near  battle-grounds,  are  not 
often  found,  though  here  and  there  on  the  hill-sides 
bordering  the  lake,  and  on  the  islands,  may  be  seen 
what  visitors  sometimes  imagine  to  be  mounds,  denot- 
ing places  of  sepulture.  These  are  formed  by  the 
upturning  of  trees  during  the  whiter  gales.  Cart-loads 
of  earth  frequently  adhere  to  the  roots  of  large  trees, 
and  when  they  fall,  it  assumes  the  oblong  shape  of 
graves.  In  course  of  time  the  trunk  of  the  tree  decays, 
and  nature  neatly  turfs  over  the  mound,  which  has 
every  appearance  of  being  the  work  of  man.1  These 

(1)  —  In  the  summer  of  last  year  (18b7),  the  author  saw  a  party  of 
antiquarians  opening  one  of  1he?e  mounds.  A  largo  stone  lay  at 
ench  end,  fully  persuading  them  that  the  mound  covered  an  Indiuii 
grace.  Of  course  nothing  was  found. 


IN      GENERAL.  65 

mounds  may  be  found  in  all  stages  of  progress  among 
the  islands  of  the  lake.  Nevertheless,  genuine  Indian 
graves  still  exist.  There  must  be  one  somewhere  on 
the  shore  of  the  lake,  near  Montcalm's  Bay,  which  the 
antiquary  would  deem  a  rare  prize.  It  is  the  grave 
of  a  warrior  who  was  killed  in  a  fight  at  that  place  in 
1757,  on  the  evening  before  Montcalm  arrived  in  front 
of  Fort  William  Henry.  The  account  of  the  burial  is 
given  by  Father  Roubaud,  missionary  of  the  Abenakis. 
He  says : 

"  The  morning  had  scarcely  begun  to  dawn,  when  a 
party  of  the  Nepistingue  tribe  proceeded  with  the 
funeral  rites  of  .their  brother,  killed  during  the  action 
of  the  preceding  night,  and  who  died  in  the  errors  of 
paganism.  His  obsequies  were  celebrated  with  all 
pomp  and  savage  splendor.  The  dead  body  had  been 
arrayed  in  ali  its  ornaments,  or  rather  overloaded  with 
all  the  trinkets  that  the  most  unusual  degree  of  pride 
would  be  able  to  employ,  under  circumstances  so  sad 
in  themselves.  Collars  of  porcelain,  silver  bracelets, 
pendants  for  the  ears  and  nose,  magnificent  dresses, 
all  had  been  lavished  on  him.  They  had  even  called 
in  the  aid  of  paint  and  vermilion,  to  cover  up  under 
these  brilliant  colors,  the  pallid  hue  of  death,  and  to 
give  to  his  countenance  an  air  of  life,  which  in  reality 
it  did  not  possess.  They  had  not  been  forgetful  of 
any  of  the  decorations  of  an  Indian  warrior.  A  gor- 
get or  neck-piece,  bound  with  red  ribbon,  hung  negli- 
gently on  his  breast ;  his  gun  resting  on  his  arm,  the 


66  IN       GENERAL. 

tomahawk  at  his  belt,  the  pipe  in  his  mouth,  the  lance 
in  his  hand,  and  the  kettle  filled  with  provisions  at 
his  side.  Clothed  in  this  warlike  and  animated  array, 
they  had  seated  him  on  an  eminence  covered  with 
grass,  which  served  him  for  a  bed  of  state."1 

With  a  large  number  of  those  persons  visiting  the 
lake,  everything  relating  to  the  fish  will  be  of  interest. 
It  is  very  clear  that  the  fish  are  not  so  abundant  as 
formerly.  The  principal  kinds  taken  are  the  bass, 
the  pickerel,  the  perch,  and  the  trout.  Of  the  Lake 
George  trout,  Silliman  says :  "  Nothing  of  the  kind 
can  be  finer ;  this  beautiful  fish,  elegantly  decorated, 
and  gracefully  formed,  shy  of  observation,  and  delight- 
ing, above  all,  in  the  perfect  purity  of  its  element, 
finds  in  Lake  George  a  residence  most  happily 
adapted  to  its  nature.  Here  it  attains  a  very  uncom- 
mon size,  and  exhibits  its  most  perfect  beauty  and 
symmetry.  The  delicate  carnation  of  its  flesh,  is  here, 
also,  most  remarkable."2 

His  praise  of  the  trout  is  certainly  deserved.  Trout 
are  taken  both  in  the  lake  and  in  the  tributary  brooks. 
The  best  fishing  is  found  at  the  Narrows  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cook's  Island  and  Anthony's  Nose.  Trout 
Pavilion  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  about  six  miles 
from  Caldwell,  as  well  as  Plague,  are  localities  resorted 
to  by  lovers  of  fine  fish. 


(1)  —Kip's  Earlj-  Jesuits,  p.  162 
«2)  — Silliman's  Tour,  Vol.  i.  p.  152. 


INGENERAL.  67 

The  fishermen  must  remember,  however,  that  the 
fish  of  the  lake  are  protected  by  special  legislation. 
The  law  of  1812  prohibited  the  use  of  either  seine  or 
spear  in  taking  fish  in  the  lake  or  its  tributaries. 
The  law  of  1824  was  still  more  stringent,  prohibiting 
angling,  also,  between  September  1  and  December 
15.  The  law  of  1853  stands  as  follows,  though  the 
amendment  of  1855  makes  an  exception  as  regards 
those  small  fish  which  are  taken  for  bait : 

"  It  shall  not  be  lawful  for  any  person  or  persons  to 
draw  any  seine,  set  any  net,  or  spear  any  fish,  in  the 
waters  of  Lake  George,  or  at  or  in  the  outlets  or 
mouths  of  any  brook,  or  creek  entering  into  the  same, 
at  any  season  of  the  year ;  or  to  use  any  means  or 
devices,  angling  excepted,  to  take  or  procure  any  fish 
in  or  from  the  waters  of  said  lake,  brooks,  or  creeks, 
at  any  season  of  the  year ;  or  to  take  any  bass  in  said 
waters,  or  any  of  them  between  the  first  days  of  April 
and  July  in  any  year,  in  any  manner,  or  by  or  under 
any  device  or  pretence  whatever."1 

The  hunter  will  not  find  himself  without  employ- 
ment at  the  lake.  During  the  fall  and  winter  he  may 
find  an  abundance  of  deer  in  the  vicinity  of  Tongue 
Mountain.  They  are  often  driven  into  the  lake  and 
captured.  In  the  right  season  there  is  always  work 
to  be  done  on  land,  with  such  members  of  the  feathered 
tribe  as  the  woodcock,  the  partridge,  and  the  quail, 

(D  —  Rev.  Stat.,  Chap.  506. 


68  IN       GENERAL. 

while  on  the  lake  he  can  watch  his  opportunity  for.  a 
shot  at  the  wild  ducks.  Besides  the  game-birds,  the 
naturalist  will  find  no  small  variety,  and  may  bag 
excellent  specimens  of  the  gull,  which  always  appears 
lonesome  here  on  the  lake;  also  the  hawk,  the  loon, 
and,  at  times,  the  king  of  birds,  the  eagle. 

At  this  place,  whoever  may  be  on  the  watch,  will 
sometimes  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  squirrels 
travel,  exaggerated  accounts  of  whose  performances 
on  the  water  frequently  get  into  popular  works  on 
natural  history.  On  such  occasions  they  go  in  search 
of  food.  A  writer  who  hunted  at  the  lake,  at  a 
somewhat  recent  period,  gives  the  following  account. 
He  says  : 

"In  the  month  of  September,  1851,  I  arrived  at 
Lake  George,  where  I  found  that  the  gray  and  black 
squirrels  had  been  travelling  for  several  days,  and 
were  still  moving.  Early  one  morning  I  discovered 
three  or  four  at  several  distances,  swimming  from  the 
western  to  the  eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  which  at  that 
time  was  as  smooth  as  glass.  I  watched  them  as  long 
as  I  could  see  the  ripples  the  water  made,  and  sup- 
posed that  they  succeeded  in  crossing  the  lake,  which 

at  this  point  was  more  than  a  mile  wide I 

found  many  of  both  black  and  grey  squirrels  floating 
or  lying  along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  drowned.  Per- 
sons frequently  went  after  them  in  boats,  and  on 
putting  down  the  oar  before  them,  they  would  run  up 
into  the  boat  almost  exhausted,  Avhere  they  were 


IN      GENERAL.  69 

secured  alive.  1  saw  several  that  had  been  so  taken 
at  Lake  George."1 

The  geologist  will  find  abundant  opportunities  for 
study  at  Lake  George,  while  the  mineralogist  can  reap 
quite  a  harvest.  The  crystals  of  Diamond  Island  have 
already  been  spoken  of  in  another  place.  At  Rogers 
Slide  may  be  found  handsome  garnets,  resinite,  cocco- 
lite,  pyroxene,  sphene,  calcareous  spar,  and  graphite  ; 
and,  near  by,  tourmaline.  The  discovery  of  the  latter 
mineral,  in  its  amorphous  condition,  when  it  resembles 
anthracite,  once  caused  some  of  the  residents  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  lake  to  believe  that  they  had  found  a 
valuable  bed  of  coal.  A  slight  knowledge  of  geology 
would  have  taught  them  the  impossibility  of  finding 
coal  in  primary  rock ;  yet  this  discovery,  led  to  a 
dispute,  and  ended  in  some  unprofitable  litigation. 

Hematite  occurs  in  the  primitive  rock  at  Anthony's 
Nose,  which  reddens  with  it  in  spots.  Feldspar,  epi- 
dote,  and  graphite  also  occur  in  Ticonderoga. 

The  sands  of  Lake  George  are  particularly  fine, 
and  have  a  large  interest  apart  from  the  beauty  which 
they  frequently  give  to  the  beach.  Sand  is  the  dust 
of  the  ages  —  the  powdered  foundation  of  the  elder 
world.  When  obtained  in  its  purest  state  it  is  com- 
posed of  simple  silex.  But  on  the  shores  of  the  lake  it 
is  mixed  with  other  materials.  On  the  beach  at  Cald- 
well,  a  loadstone  thrust  into  the  sand  will  sometimes 

(1)  —  DoVoo's  Market  Assistant,  p.  123. 


70  IN      GENERAL. 

be  drawn  forth,  covered,  more  or  less,  with  a  fine, 
glossy,  black,  magnetic  iron-sand.  There  is  also  to  be 
found  limpid  quartz,  powdered  garnet,  and  epidote. 
When  mixed  together,  spread  out  loosely  on  a  white 
paper,  and  viewed  with  a  magnifying  glass,  they  appear 
to  very  good  advantage,  and  then  if  the  lens  should 
happen  to  be  of  great  power,  one  might  imagine  that 
he  had  found  a  prize.  Speaking  of  this  sand,  Silliman 
says :  "  It  is  indeed  somewhat  difficult  to  believe,  that 
the  garnet,  and  epidote,  and  probably  coccolite,  often 
rich  in  their  colors,  and  highly  translucent,  are  not 
ruby  and  chrysoberyl.  It  would  be  worth  while,"  he 
adds,  "  to  examine  these  sands  more  particularly,  to 
ascertain  if  there  may  not  be  gems  among  them,  as 
the  gems  of  Ceylon  and  Brazil,  and  the  hyacinths  of 
Expaily  in  France  are  found  among  the  alluvial  ruin. 
.  .  .  All  similar  sands  should  be  examined  with  an 
attentive  eye."1 

A  pinch  of  sand  which  the  author  once  took  home 
from  Sabbath  Day  Point,  and  examined  under  an 
achromatic  microscope  of  high  power,  afforded  a  rare 
exhibition.  When  brought  into  focus,  and  illuminated 
by  the  aid  of  a  condenser,  the  effect  was  magical.  A 
turn  of  the  milled  screw,  and — presto! — the  dull  and, 
to  the  naked  eye,  almost  colorless  dust  becomes  an 
outspread  heap  of  sparkling  gems.  One  would  think 
that  he  had  suddenly  come  into  the  cave  of  some 

(1)  —  Silliman'8  Tour,  Vol.  i.  p.  172. 


INGENERAL.  71 

genii,  so  great  is  the  profusion  of  epidote,  garnet, 
amethyst,  and  crystal  quartz.  The  rich  colors  of 
these  minute  fragments  combine  to  form  a  beautiful 
exhibition,  though  one  cannot  help  regretting  the 
destruction  of  rich  minerals  involved  in  its  produc- 
tion. . 

But  the  reader  must  not  be  kept  longer  from  the 
consideration  of  the  romantic  history  of  Lake  George. 


COLONIAL      DAYS. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

• 
But  see,  the  haughty  household  troops  advance ! 

The  dread  of  Europe  and  the  pride  of  Franco. 

CHAMPLA  IN  —  JOGUES  —  COURCELLES  —  NICHOLSON'S  EXPE- 
DITION—THE BATTLE  OF  LAKE  GEORGE  —  BLOODY  POND 
—  THE  RETREAT— FOET  WILLIAM  HENRY  —  SCOUTING  — 
LOUDON  —  RIGACD'S  EXPEDITION  —  FATHER  ROUBAUD — 
MONTCALM — THE  MASSACRE. 


HE  existence  of  Lake  George  was 
first  made  known  to  Europeans 
by  the  French.  In  July,  1609, 
Champlain  ascended  the  St.  Law- 
rence, in  company  with  a  party 
of  Hurons  and  Algonquins,  and 
sailed  across  the  lake  which  now 
bears  his  name.  He  had  joined 
these  Indians  in  an  expedition 
the  hostile  Iroquois,  for  the 
purpose  of  gaining  their  good  will.  As 
they  proceeded  on  the  way,  the  Indians 
described  the  country  to  be  traversed, 
and  the  region  which  was  inhabited  by  their  enemies. 
Champlain  says,  "  The  Indians  told  me  .  .  .  that  we 


COLONIAL       DAYS.  73 

must  pass  by  a  waterfall,  which  I  afterwards  saw,1  and 
then  enter  another  lake  three  or  four  leagues  long." 
That  lake  was  Lake  George,  the  outlet  of  which,  at 
Ticonderoga,  forms  a  beautiful  fall.  This  bold  explorer 
never  saw  the  lake  itself.2  Encountering  their  enemies 
near  Crown  Point,  whither  they  had  come  to  meet 
them,  the  Hurons  and  their  confederates  gained  an 
easy  victory  by  means  of  the  arquebus  of  Champlain, 
and  returned  with  ten  or  twelve  prisoners. 

The  first  white  man  who  is  known  to  have  seen 
Lake  George  was  Father  Jogues.3  May  29, 1646,  he 
was  on  his  way  to  the  Mohawk  country,  to  perfect  a 
treaty.  Attended  by  Jean  Bourdon,  the  engineer,  who 
was  one  of  the  principal  residents  of  Quebec,  he  ar- 
rived in  a  canoe  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake  on  the  eve  of 
the  festival  of  Corpus  Christi*  and  named  it  Lac  du 
St.  Sacrempnt?  Lake  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  By 

(1)  — Doc.  His.  N.  Y.,  Vol.  iii.  p.  6. 

(2)  —  Charlevoix  has  been  quoted  by  various  authors,  as  saying  that 
Champlain  passed  the  rapids  and  sailed  up  Lake  St.  Sacrament;  yet 
Charlevoix  says  nothing  of  the  kind.     His  account  of  the  matter 
indicates  precisely  the  contrary. 

(3)  —  Isaac  Jogues,  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  was  born  in 
Oi-leans,  France,  in  1607,  and  fell  a  martyr  to  the  Faith  in  1646,  being 
cruelly  murdered  by  the  Mohawks,  among  whom  he  was  laboring  us 
a  missionary.    lie  was  the  first  Roman  Catholic  missionary  to  enter 
the  State  of  New  York.    When  he  left  Canada  to  go  on  his  mission, 
he  had  a  presentiment  of  his  coming  fate,  saying,  Ibo,  nee  redibo. 

(4) —  A  festival  kept  on  the  Thursday  following  Trinity  Sunday,  in 
commemoration  of  the  supposed  Heal  Presence  of  Christ  in  the 
Sacrament.. 

(5)  — In  giving  it  this  name,  the  reference  was  not  to  the  purity  of 
the  water.  It  was  wholly  in  honor  of  the  festival.  See  Relations  de» 
Jcsuites,  1646,  p.  15 


74  COLONIAL      DAYS. 

the  Iroquois  it  had  been  known  as  Andiartarocte,1 
which  meant  the  Tail  of  the  Lake,  i.  e.  the  place  where 
Lake  Champlain  closes.  The  next  day  they  continued 
their  course  southward,  on  foot,  "  with  great  fatigue, 
for  they  had  to  carry  on  their  backs  their  bundles  and 
baggage."  The  Algonquin  guides  were  forced  to  leave 
a  great  portion  of  their  baggage  on  the  border  of  the 
lake. 

They  reached  their  destination,  accomplished  their 
object,  and  June  1 6  started  on  their  return.  The  Re- 
lation says :  "  They  travelled  several  days  by  land,  not 
without  trouble,  for  they  had,  like  Arabian  horses,  to 
carry  their  victuals  and  baggage,  the  brooks  being  the 
only  taverns  to  be  met  with.  Arriving  on  the  border 
of  Lake  St.  Sacrament,  they  made  canoes,  or  small 
boats,  with  bark ;  and  setting  out  in  them,  they  pad- 
dled and  sailed  until  the  twenty-seventh  of  the  same 
month  of  June,  and  then  landed  at  the  first  French 
habitation."2 


(1)  —  Father  Bruyas  in  his  MS.  work  on  Mohawk  Radicals,  Bays : 
"  Ganniatare,  a  lake:   Ganniatariakte,  I  pass  it  with  something." 
rotier,  in  his  Huron  Grammar,  mentions  un  and  nd  as  convertible. 
Hence  the  form  Gandnatare.    Garocto  means,  "  Go  quickly."    The 
name  "  Ilorikan"  —  Silvery  Water  —  has  no  authority,  and  is  simply 
a  fancy  of  Cooper's. 

(2)  —  Relation  1646,  p.  IT.    Father  Jogues  has  been  represented  (see 
Brodhead's  New  York,  p.  423)  as  returning  by  the  "  same  route  "  that 
he  came.  The  authority  given  is  Father  Tanner's  curious  Latin  work, 
compiled  chiefly  from  the  Relations.    On  this  point  he  is  clearly 
wrong,  as  well  as  in  regard  to  the  date  of  Father  Jogues'  return, 
which  was  on  the  16th,  and  not  the  17th,  of  June. 


COLONIAL      DAYS.  75 

Father  Jogues,  therefore,  was  probably  the  first 
European  who  sailed  upon  the  waters  of  the  beautiful 
Lake  of  the  Holy  Sacrament. 

It  is  true  that  others  of  the  Fathers  travelled 
in  the  vicinity  about  this  time.  Among  them  was 
Father  Bressani,  who  was  carried  away  captive  by  the 
Mohawks  in  1G44;  but  he  says  nothing  in  his  Rela- 
tion1 about  the  lake. 

The  map  published  by  the  Jesuits  in  1664,  indeed, 
has  a  dotted  trail  from  the  south  end  of  Lake  St. 
Sacrament  to  the  Mohawk  villages  j  yet  the  absurd 
form  given  to  the  lake  shows  that  whoever  made  the 
map  had  never  sailed  upon  its  waters.  The  trail  laid 
down  was  probably  the  course  pursued  by  the  Indians. 
Father  Poncet,*  who  was  made  a  prisoner  by  the 
Iroquois  in  1652,  is  silent  respecting  the  lake.  Father 
LeMoyne,  who  wrote  four  years  later,  maintains  the 
same  reticence. 

January  30,  1666,  the  French  operations  became 
active,  and  Courcelles,  Governor  of  Canada,  left  Fort 
St.  Theresa  to  attack  the  Mohawks  near  the  banks  of 
the  Hudson,  but  he  returned  February  12,  without  in- 
flicting much  injury  upon  the  enemy.  Later  in  the 
year,  about  the  1st  of  July,  Sorel  marched  on  the  same 
errand,  and  while  on  his  way  met  a  deputation  of 
Indians  who  were  going  to  Montreal  to  effect  a  peace. 
Accordingly  he  returned,  and  on  the  12th  of  the 

(1)  — Col.  Doc.,  ix.  46.     Relations  des  Jesuites,  1665,  Vol.  iii.  p.  6. 

(2)  — ib.(  1653,  Vol.  p.  11. 


76  COLONIAL      DAYS. 

month  a  treaty  was  made  with  the  Oneidas,  it  being 
agreed  to  "  open  a  trade  and  commerce  by  the  Lake 
du  Saint  Sacrement."1 

September  14,  Tracy,  then  Viceroy  of  Canada,  find- 
ing the  Mohawks  extremely  troublesome,  sent  the 
Governor,  Courcelles,  with  a  considerable  force,  to 
destroy  their  forts  and  villages.  Tracy  himself  joined 
the  expedition.  Considerable  success  attended  their 
efforts,  though  both  the  Viceroy  and  the  Governor 
were  disabled  by  hardship,  and  were  carried  back 
the  most  of  the  distance  by  their  men,  reaching  Mon- 
treal in  fifty-three  days  from  the  time  they  set  out. 
The  route  taken  by  these  expeditious  is  not  noted 
with  accuracy,  yet  it  is  highly  probable  that  they 
passed  over  Lake  St.  Sacrament. 

In  1668  Fathers  Fremin,  Pierron,  and  Bruyas 
went  up  Lake  Champlain,  and  passed  south  from 
Ticonderoga  by  land.  Near  by  the  Indians  showed 
them  a  place  where  some  water-dwellers  exchanged 
flints  for  tobacco.  We  give  a  translation  of  the 
account  as  narrated  by  the  Fathers  themselves.  They 
say: 

"  We  arrived  at  three-fourths  of  a  league  from  the 
rapids,  where  Lake  St.  Sacrament  empties.  We 
halted  at  this  place  without  knowing  the  reason, 
except  that  we  saw  our  Indians  pick  up  at  the  water's 
edge,  gun-flints  almost  completely  cut.  We  did  not 

(1)  —  Col.  Doc. ;  Vol.  ix.  p.  46;  iii.  p.  123. 


COLONIAL       DAYS.  77 

then  give  it  any  attention,  but  we  subsequently  learned 
the  mystery,  for  our  Iroquois  told  us  that  they  never 
failed  to  halt  at  that  place  to  pay  homage  to  a  nation 
of  invisible  men,  who  dwelt  there  at  the  bottom  of  the 
water,  and  were  engaged  in  preparing  gun-flints  almost 
ready  for  use,  for  those  who  passed,  provided  they 
rendered  them  their  obeisance  by  offering  them  some 
tobacco.  If  they  gave  much  they  gave  the  stones 
liberally.  These  water-men  join  canoes  like  the 
Iroquois  ;  and  when  their  great  chief  plunges  into 
the  water  to  enter  his  palace,  he  makes  such  a  loud 
noise  that  it  fills  with  terror  the  minds  of  all  those 
who  are  not  aware  of  his  great  genius."1 

The  Indians  conversed  on  the  subject  very  seriously ; 
but  the  good  Fathers  explain  that  these  stones,  so 
useful  in  striking  fire,  were  thrown  up  by  the  waves 
during  the  storms,  and  that  the  invisibles  aforesaid 
have  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter. 

The  reverend  Father  says  in  the  Relation,  that  while 
he  stopped  on  an  island  on  Lake  Champlain,  the  rest 
went  forward,  the  boatmen  "  landing  at  the  end  of  the 
Lake  du  St.  Sacrement,  and  preparing  for  the  portage. 
Each  one  loads  himself  with  baggage  and  canoes,  in 
which,  re-embarking,  [in  Lake  St.  Sacrament]  at  last, 
after  some  paddle-strokes,  we  left  them,  joyful  to  have 
reached  the  end  of  the  lake,  whence  there  remained 
thirty  leagues  to  make  by  land." 

(1)  —  Relations  dcs  Jesuites,  1668.    Vol.  iii.  p.  &. 


78  COLONIAL      DAYS. 

The  language  of  the  Relation  is.  here  a  little 
obscure,  but  it  probably  means  that  they  crossed 
the  lake.  We  are  also  told  that  the  Iroquois  at 
the  entrance  of  the  lake  (a  Ventree  de  ce  LOG)  re- 
membered the  expedition  of  Tracy  two  years  before, 
and  "all  the  country  of  the  Iroquois  was  then  in 
apprehension  of  a  new  army,  so  that  fourteen  men 
were  continually  on  the  watch  at  the  end  of  the  lake 
to  discover  the  march  of  the  army  and  give  prompt 
news  to  all  the  nation,  .that  they  might  set  ambushes 
in  the  woods  to  attack  and  cut  us  in  pieces.  But 
instead  of  enemies,"  says  the  Father,  "  we  were  angels 
of  peace  ;  and  they,  instead  of  lions,  were  servants, 
and  helped  us  to  carry  our  packages.  We  marched 
in  their  company  by  small  days'  journeys."1 

We  find  nothing  further  of  interest,  until  Waite  and 
Jennings  crossed  the  lake  on  their  way  to  Canada,  to 
negotiate  for  the  return  of  the  English,  who  were 
taken  prisoners  by  the  French  and  Indians  at  Hatfield 
and  Deerfield,  Massachusetts,  September  19,  1677. 
Under  date  of  December  13,  following,  it  is  said: 
"  Securing,  with  some  difficulty,  an  Indian  guide  on 
whom  they  could  rely,  they  proceeded  to  Lake  George, 
where,  finding  a  canoe,  they  crossed  to  the  outlet  of 
that  lake  in  three  days."2  From  thence  they  went  on 
to  St.  John's,  and  at  once  found  a  part  of  the  pris- 
oners. 

(1)  —  Relations  des  Jesuites,  1668.    VoJ.  iii.  p.  6. 

(2)  — Attack  on  Hatfield  and  Deerfield.    Bradford  Club.  p.  32. 


COLONIAL       DAYo.  79 

In  1690,  hostilities  being  threatened  between  the 
French  and  English,  the  former  at  Montreal,  Bancroft 
says,  were  frequently  alarmed  by  reports  that  the 
Indians  and  colonists  were  building  canoes  and  de- 
scending Lake  St.  Sacrament.  But  on  June  21,  of 
the  next  year,  the  English  moved  in  earnest,  and 
Major  John  Schuyler  left  Albany  to  attack  Fort  La- 
praire.  His  force  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  sixty 
whites  and  friendly  Indians,  of  which  number  no  less 
than  sixty-eight  were  killed  and  wounded  before  his 
return. 

His  expedition  attracted  much  attention  at  the  time, 
but  resulted  in  little  real  good.  During  this  expe- 
dition he  sent  scouting-parties  out  on  Lake  St.  Sa- 
crament, as  it  was  then  universally  called,  who  ranged 
up  and  down  its  waters.1  The  expedition  of  Colonel 
Philip  Schuyler  to  the  same  place,  the  following  year, 
does  not  appear  to  have  gone  nearer  the  lake  than 
Ticonderoga. 

In  1692  Menteth,  who  commanded  six  hundred 
French,  moved  during  the  winter  against  the  Mohawks 
living  south  of  the  Hudson,  and  defeated  them  with 
considerable  loss.  It  is  not  so  clear  that  he  crossed 
the  lake  on  his  way  south,  yet  he  returned  that  way. 
The  French  report  says,  under  date  of  March  2 : 
"  Came  to  sleep  at  Lake  St.  Sacrament ;  several  of 
the  Indians  left  us  to  hunt,  and  as  they  alone  were 

(1)  -Col.  Doc.,  Vol.  iii.  p.  800. 


OO  COLONIAL       DAYS. 

master  of  the  prisoners,  whom  they  did  not.  guard  very 
strictly,  many  of  them  escaped." 

The  next  morning  they  moved  on,  and  on  the  4th 
they  arrived  at  the  place  where  they  had  previously 
deposited  a  quantity  of  provisions,  which  they  found 
spoiled.  This  caused  a  "  universal  and  most  rigid 
fast."  Some  of  the  party  boiled  their  moccasins  with 
a  few  potatoes  to  satisfy  their  hunger.  They  reached 
Montreal  on  March  17.1 

Queen  Anne's  war  commenced  in  1702,  and  con- 
tinued until  1713.  During  this  war  the  lake  was 
used  to  some  extent,  and  was,  on  the  whole,  the  favor- 
ite route  to  Canada.  It  involved  a  portage  at  Ticon- 
deroga,  but  it  was  considered  by  far  the  most  healthy. 
The  war,  however,  went  on  for  about  nine  years 
before  the  quiet  of  the  lake  was  seriously  disturbed. 
At  that  time  the  colonists  prepared  to  invade  Canada, 
and  on  August  28  Colonel  Nicholson  marched  with 
four  thousand  men,  one  half  of  whom  were  Germans 
and  Indians.  But  he  had  scarcely  reached  the  site  of 
the  present  village  of  Caldwell,  at  the  head  of  Lake 
St.  Sacrament,  when  he  heard  of  the  failure  of  Gen- 
eral Hill's  expedition  against  Quebec,  and  received 
orders  to  return  to  Albany. 

In  1745  hostilities  again  broke  out  with  the  French, 
who  came  down  by  the  way  of  Lake  Champlain  and 
Fort  Edward,  in  the  course  of  the  war  destroying 

(1)  — ib.,  Vol.  ix.  p.  660. 


COLONIAL      DAYS.  8l 

Saratoga  and  capturing  Fort  Massachusetts,  which 
was  situated  within  the  limits  of  Williamstown,  Mass. 

During  this  war  the  lake  was  visited  by  six  hundred 
Dutch  and  friendly  Indians.  The  former  went  on  a 
scout  down  the  lake  in  canoes,  .but  did  not  meet  with 
the  enemy.  Later,  the  French  commander,  Devillers, 
sent  scouts  to  the  lake,  which  he  calls  "  Lake  St. 
Laurent,"  who  reported  that  they  found  camps  and 
cabins  sufficient  to  accommodate  the  above-mentioned 
number  of  men.  The  camps  appeared  as  if  they  had 
not  been  left  more  than  a  month.  Yet  the  war  closed 
without  any  hostilities  on  the  lake,  which  was  next 
used  to  some  extent  by  Indian  smugglers.  About 
this  time  a  party  of  the  Six  Nations,  who  had  deserted 
and  established  themselves  near  Montreal,  seem  to 
have  monopolized  the  illicit  trading  between  Albany 
and  Montreal.1  On  one  occasion  they  saved  the  life 
of  a  captive  of  another  tribe,  who  had  been  taken  to 
Crown  Point,  and  carried  him  in  their  canoes  across 
Lake  St.  Sacrament  to  his  home. 

The  next  year  General  Johnson,  aftewards  Sir 
William  Johnson,  visited  the  lake  with  several  tribes 
of  Indians.  He  tells  us  in  his  account  of  the  Oneidas, 
that  this  tribe  often  used  a  tree  as  a  symbol  of  stability, 
but  that  their  true  symbol  is  a  stone,  called  Onoga. 
His  visit  to  the  lake  was  marked  only  by  the  setting 
up  of  the  Indian  signs.  He  writes  :  "  I  went  on  Lake 

(1)  — Colden's  Five  Nations,  Vol.  ii.  p.  111. 


82  COLONIAL       DAYS. 

St.  Sacrament  in  1746,  when,  to  show  the  enemy  the 
strength  of  our  Indian  alliance,  I  desired  each  nation 
to  affix  their  symbol  to  a  tree,  to  alarm  the  French. 
The  Oneidas,"  he  says,  "  put  up  a  stone,  which  they 
painted  red."1 

In  the  year  1749  Kalm,  the  Swedish  traveller, 
intended  to  pass  down  the  lake,  but  was  finally  obliged 
to  go  by  the  way  of  Whitehall,  though  he  testifies  that 
the  common  route  at  that  time  lay  over  St.  Sacrament, 
which  indicates  that  the  lake  was  well  known. 

We  find  no  record  of  anything  of  much  interest  in 
connection  with  the  lake  from  this  time  forward,  until 
the  year  1755,  when,  on  the  28th  of  August,  General 
Johnson  built  a  military  road,  and,  marching  to  the 
lake,  encamped  at  its  head  with  a  small  army,  designed 
to  operate  against  Crown  Point,  and  repel  the  aggres- 
sions of  the  French,  who  were  now  preparing  to  assert 
their  claims  to  a  large  part  of  the  country.  Immedi- 
ately on  his  arrival  he-changed  the  name  of  the  lake, 
and  ordered  that  it  should  in  the  future  be  known  as 
Lake  George,  "  not  only,"  as  he  said,  "  in  honor  of 
his  Majesty,  but  to  ascertain  his  undoubted  dominion." 
This  change  was  one  that  must  ever  be  regretted, 
since  no  more  beautiful  or  appropriate  name  could  be 
suggested  than  that  given  by  the  devout  Father  Jognes, 
by  which  it  was  known  for  more  than  a  century. 
"  Lake  Jogues,"  would  be  preferable  to  Lake  George. 

(1)  — Doc.  His.,  Vol.  iv.  p.  271. 


COLONIAL      DAYS.  83 

When  Johnson  reached  the  lake  he  found  the  whole 
country  covered  with  primeval  woods,  where,  he  says, 
though  not  with  exact  truth,  "  no  house  was  ever 
before  built,  not  a  spot  of  land  cleared."  And  while 
he  was  here  engaged  in  making  preparations  to 
advance,  the  French  general,  Dieskau,  made  his 
appearance  near  the  southern  spur  of  French  Moun- 
tain, with  an  army  of  two  thousand  men,  a  portion  of 
whom  were  Indians. 

A  council  of  war  was  held  on  the  morning  of  Sep- 
tember 8,  when  it  was  resolved  to  send  a  force  to 
meet  the  enemy.  General  Johnson  at  first  proposed 
a  somewhat  small  number  of  men  for  this  service ; 
but  the  old  Mohawk  sachem,  "  King  Hendrick,"  a 
firm  friend  of  the  English,  declared  that  the  force  was 
insufficient.  "  If  they  are  to  fight,"  said  the  chief, 
"  they  are  too  few ;  if  to  be  killed,  they  are  too  many." 
Again,  when  Johnson  proposed  to  divide  the  force  into 
three  parties,  he  took  three  sticks,  and  said :  "  Put 
these  together  and  you  cannot  break  them :  take  them 
one  by  one,  and  you  can  break  them  easily."  Thus 
the  question  was  settled,  and  Colonel  Williams  was 
placed  in  command  of  twelve  hundred  men,  among 
whom  was  a  body  of  Mohawk  Indians  under  Hen- 
drick. 

Colonel  Williams  met  the  enemy  at  a  brook  four 
miles  east  of  the  lake,  where  the  road  to  Glen's  Falls- 
now  passes,  and  was  unfortunately  drawn  into  an 
ambush  laid  ha  the  form  of  a  half  moon.  The  enemy 


84  COLONIAL      DAYS. 

at  once  opened  a  galling  fire,  under  which  the  English 
force  was  mowed  down  like  grass.  The  aged  Hen- 
drick,  who  rode  horseback  and  directed  the  movements 
of  his  men,  fell  from  his  saddle,  mortally  wounded ;  and 
Colonel  Williams  was  killed  by  a  bullet,  while  stand- 
ing on  or  near  a  rock,  (which  is  still  pointed  out,) 
giving  his  orders.  Colonel  Whiting  immediately  suc- 
ceeded to  the  command,  and  ordered  the  troops  to  fall 
back  to  the  main  body  at  the  lake,  from  whence  rein- 
forcements had  already  been  sent  to  their  aid.  This 
movement  was  accomplished  with  coolness,  notwith- 
standing the  previous  blunder. 

Dieskau  rapidly  followed,  and  at  eleven  o'clock 
reached  the  eminence  where  the  slight  earthwork 
called  Fort  Gage  was  afterwards  built.  Hoyt,  who 
conversed  with  several  soldiers  engaged  in  the  battle, 
gives  an  account  of  their  impressions  when  they  saw 
the  disciplined  Frenchmen  appearing  on  the  hill : 
"  The  regulars  advanced  in  a  column  of  platoons,  then 
a  novelty  to  provincial  troops,  and  as  the  day  was  fine, 
their  polished  arms  glittered  through  the  tops  of  the 
intervening  trees  like  masses  of  icicle,  multiplying 
their  number  ten-fold."1 

Johnson's  camp  was  situated  near  the  site  of  the 
ruins  of  Fort  George,  where  he  had  formed  a  slight 
breastwork  of  logs,  and  was  somewhat  prepared  to 
meet  him.  After  a  brief  delay  the  enemy  attacked 

(1)  —  Antiquarian  Researches,  p.  276. 


COLONIAL       DAYS.  85 

with  much  fury,  and  the  battle  raged  for  a  period  of 
five  hours.  Dieskau's  Indians,  however,  feared  the 
artillery  of  the  English,  and  the  French  were  unable, 
with  all  their  exertions,  to  carry  the  position.  Finally 
they  gave  up  the  attempt  and  retreated,  the  English 
jumping  over  the  breastworks  and  pursuing  for  some 
distance.  At  sunset  the  remnant  of  the  French  army 
halted  near  the  scene  of  the  morning  engagement,  and 
while  refreshing  themselves  there,  were  suddenly 
attacked  by  two  hundred  New-Hampshire  men  from 
Fort  Edward,  under  Captain  McGinnis.  They  were 
at  once  routed,  and  fled  in  dismay,  leaving  all  their 
baggage,  while  the  blood  of  the  slaughtered  men 
mingled  with  the  water  of  a  shallow  pond,  which  has 
since  been  known  as  "  Bloody  Pond." 

General  Johnson  was  wounded  early  in  the  engage- 
ment at  his  camp,  and  retired  to  his  tent,  turning  over 
the  command  to  General  Lyman,  who  stood  in  the 
most  exposed  positions,  coolly  giving  his  orders  and 
cheering  on  the  men,  until  the  victory  was  secured. 
Still,  Johnson  di4not  have  the  magnanimity  even  to 
mention  Lyman  in  his  despatches,  though  in  his  tent 
he  admitted  the  great  value  of  his  services.  A  con- 
spiracy1 was  even  formed  among  certain  of  the  officers 
to  accuse  Lyman  of  cowardice.  The  conspiracy  failed, 
but  that  brave  man  was  kept  from  the  enjoyment  of 
his  just  reward.  On  the  other  hand  General  Johnson 

(1)  — Review  of  Mil.  Operations  in  N.  A.,  1756-6.     Series  B,  p.  64. 


86  COLONIAL      DATS. 

obtained  great  credit,  and,  in  addition  to  the  grant 
of  a.  large  sum  of  money  by  Parliament,  was  created 
a  baronet. 

In  this  engagement  the  intrepid  Dieskau  was 
wounded1  and  taken  prisoner.  His  motto  —  Valor 
wins  —  signally  failed  in  this  instance.  His  whole 
army  might  have  been  either  destroyed  or  captured,  if 
the  advantage  gained  had  been  followed  up.  Lyman 
strenuously  advocated  this  policy,  but  Johnson  thought 
it  unsafe. 

The  troops  engaged  were  chiefly  from  New  England, 
New  York  furnishing  only  eight  hundred.  The  loss 
was  estimated  at  about  three  hundred  in  killed  and 
wounded.  The  French  lost  from  four  to  six  hun- 
dred. They  retreated  to-  Crown  Point  and  aban- 
doned the  campaign. 

This  was  the  first  battle  fought  at  Lake  George.  It 
was  of  great  importance,  both  inasmuch  as  it  rebuked 
the  arrogant  assumptions  of  the  French,  and  taught 
them  the  hopelessness  of  seeking  to  divide  the  common 
interests.  The  result  filled  the  whole  country  with 
the  wildest  joy,  and  the  people  everywhere  began  to 
take  heart. 


(1 )  —  He  was  wounded  twice.  Some  authorities  say  that  the  second 
shot  —  a  severe  one  in  his  hips  —  was  given  by  a  renegade  French- 
man ;  while  others  affirm  that  it  was  fired  by  one  of  the  English,  who, 
on  approaching  the  wounded  general  to  make  him  a  prisoner,  saw 
him  put  ID'S  hand  in  his  breast  as  if  to  draw  a  pistol,  whereas  he  was 
simply  feeJiu.^  for  liis  watch.  Dicskau  died  in  Surenne,  France,  from 
the  effect  of  his  wounds,  September  8, 1767. 


COLONIAL       DAYS.  87 

Before  leaving  this  subject,  however,  it  may  be 
proper  to  notice  the  spirit  displayed  by  New  Tork, 
then  distracted  by  internal  dissensions,  and  under 
the  influence  of  the  wrong  leaders.  The  struggle 
going  on  was  upon  New-York  ground,  and  was  more 
especially  designed  for  the  protection  of  her  people. 
The  French  power  was  in  the  ascendant,  and  an 
easy  route  by  water  was  open  between  Montreal  ar:d 
the  city  of  New  York.  The  French  fully  annourced 
their  ambitious  designs  by  the  establish  ment  of  a  fort 
and  colony  at  Crown  Point  twenty-five  years  before ; 
and  yet  the  people  of  New  York,  who  at  this  time 
numbered  not  less  than  55,000,  seemed,  on  the  whole, 
altogether  too  willing  to  yield  their  back  to  the  smiter. 
"  But,"  says  Smith,  in  his  history  of  New  York,  "  a 
very  different  spirit  prevailed  in  the  eastern  colonies  ; 
for,  upon  the  southern  defeat,  Massachusetts  added 
eight  hundred,  and  Connecticut  fifteen  hundred,  men 
to  the  forces  already  under  General  Johnson's  com- 
mand."1 And  when  New  York  complained  that  the 
funds  granted  by  Parliament  to  the  Colonies  were  not 
justly  divided,  the  agent  said,  among  other  things,  in 
the  way  of  reply,  that  the  New-Englanders  had  "in  a 
measure  become  the  Swiss  of  the  continent,  in  which 
quality  they  are  not  unacceptable."2  In  fact,  this  year 
Massachusetts  had  every  fifth  able-bodied  man  in  the 
field. 

(1)  — Smith,  Vol.  ii.  261.  (2)  —  ib. 


88  COLONIAL       DAYS. 

It  is  true  that  the  figures  have  been  used  to  show 
that  New  York  at  this  time  contributed  her  full  quota. 
Yet,  in  a  crisis  like  that  of  1755,  there  was  no  time  to 
talk  of  quotas.  The  knife  of  the  savage  was  at  her 
throat,  but  there  was  no  popular  uprising ;  while 
Governor  DeLaucey,  who  affected  considerable  zeal, 
contented  himself  by  sending  the  home  government 
the  preposterous  story  that  New  York  had  furnished 
three  thousand  men  for  Shirley's  expedition  to  Niag- 
ara. It  has  been  said  that  if  the  New-England  men 
did  the  fighting  they  were  paid  for  it.  But  if  they 
were  paid  they  were  not  paid  by  New  York.  It 
would  be  every  way  unjust  to  view  the  New-England 
troops  as  mercenaries.  "  Come,"  said  Pomeroy,  who 
represented  the  true  spirit  of  New  England,  "  come  to 
the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty ;  you  that 
value  your  holy  religion,  and  your  liberties,  will  spare 
nothing,  even  to  one  half  of  your  estate." 

During  the  months  of  October  and  November,  the 
troops  were  engaged  in  building  a  fort  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  the  Fort  William  Henry  Hotel.  It  was 
named  in  honor  of  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  brother 
of  George  HI. 

About  this  time  a  series  of  scouting  expeditions 
was  commenced.  They  were  continued  atv  intervals 
for  two  or  three  years.  These  expeditions  were 
chiefly  conducted  by  Rogers  and  his  Rangers.  He 
was  often  accompanied  by  Israel  Putnam,  who,  in  the 
Revolutionary  army,  ranked  next  to  Washington. 


COLONIAL       DAYS.  89 

October  14,  Rogers,  Putnam,  and  a  soldier  named 
Butter  field,  embarked  from  Fort  William  Henry  in  a 
birch  canoe  for  Crown  Point,  then  in  possession  of  the 
French.  They  landed  nine  miles  from  the  outlet  of 
the  lake,  and  then  travelled  on  foot  to  the  vicinity  of 
the  fort  where  they  lay  in  ambush.  "At  length,"  they 
say,  "a  frenchman  Came  out  Towords  us  without 
his  Gun  and  Came  within  fifteen  Rods  of  Where  we 
lay  then  I  with  another  man  Run  up  to  him  In  order 
to  Captivate  him  —  But  he  Refused  To  Take  Quorter 
so  we  Kill,d  him  and  Took  of  his  Scalp  in  plain  sight 
of  the  fort  then  Run  and  in  plain  view  about  Twenty 
Rods  and  made  our  Escape."1 

Such  is  the  account  signed  by  Rogers  and  Putnam ; 
yet  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  an  unarmed  man  would 
refuse  to  take  quarter,  under  the  circumstances.  We 
must  rather  put  it  down  as  one  of  those  barbarous 
acts  in  which  Rogers  delighted. 

One  Captain  Doolittle  reports  that  he  went  on  a 
scout  to  Ticonderoga,  October  24,  1755,  and  that 
"  after  a  tedias  march  over  hills  and  holes  we  Indeav- 
oured  to  Disscover  ye  french  on  this  side  ye  Carrying 
Place  but  Could  not  hear  of  any  of  ye  Choping  or 
Shooting  or  Druming  we  went  Down  To  the  lake  but 
Could  not  Disscover  them."  Crossing  over  to  Ticon- 
deroga he  saw  the  French  from  a  distance  "light  up  ye 
fires  and  Beat  ye  Drums  there  appears  to  be  about 

(1)  —Doc.  Hist.  N.  Y.(  Vol.  i.  p.  175. 


90  COLONIAL      DATS. 

150  Tents  [and]  some  small  Boarden  Ilousen."  He 
afterwards  attempted  other  observations,  but  a  thick 
fog  set  in  and  "our  Provision  being  spent  Could 
tarrey  no  Longer  God  knows  whether  we  Ever  Get 
home  if  we  Do  I  would  Humbly  Present  these  few 
Lines  to  Gen!.  Wm.  Johnson."1  This  gives  a  fail- 
idea  of  the  literary  character  of  these  reports. 

October  29,  while  the  autumnal  foliage  of  the  lake 
was  still  in  its  glory,  Robert  Rogers  and  Israel  Putnam 
went  down  the  lake  on  a  scout.  On  the  31st  they 
"  made  a  Discovry  of  a  nomber  of  fires  By  night  Scit- 

[23 


FOKT      WILLIAM      HENRY      IN      1755.* 

uated  on  a  Point  of  Land  on  ye  West  Side  of  ye 
Lake,"  upon  which  they  landed  half  a  mile  distant  on 
the  same  side.  The  next  morning  they  sent  spies,  who 
found  four  tents  and  some  fires,  whereupon  Rogers 
sent  back  to  Fort  William  Henry  for  reinforcements. 
He  then  took  a  boat  and  went  down  to  within  twenty- 
live  rods  of  their  fires,  and  discovered  "  a  Small  Fort 
with  Several  Small  Log  Camps  within  ye  Fort  which," 

(1)  — Doc.  Hist.  N.  York,  Vol.  iv.  p.  176. 

•The  above  view  was  cut  by  a  soldier  with  a  knife  on  a  powder- 
horn,  now  in  possession  of  the  Maine  Historical  Society.  It  is  a  rude 
sketch,  but  doubtless  correct.  The  island  is  Tea  Island. 


COLONIAL      DAYS.  QI 

he  says,  "  I  Judged  to  Contain  about  1-4  of  an  acre. 
Said  Fort  being  open  towards  ye  Water  The  rest 
Picketted."  The  next  morning,  Putnam,  who  had  also 
gone  over  to  reconnoitre,  returned  and  reported  that 
the  enemy's  sentry  was  posted  twenty  rods  from  their 
fires.  Putnam  went  forward  until  he  came  "  so  nigh 
that  he  was  fired  upon  by  one  of  ye  Centeries  within 
a  Rod  of  him,  But  unfortunately  upon  Preparing  to 
Fire  upon  him  fell  into  a  Clay  Pit  and  wett  his  Gun 
made  ye  Best  retreat  he  was  able,  hearing  ye  Enemy 
Close  to  their  Heels."1  Afterwards  the  French  rallied 
and  endeavored  to  bring  the  English  between  a  cross 
fire  on  the  lake,  but  the  latter  detected  the  ruse, 
launched  their  batteaux,  and  opened  a  fire  with  the 
swivels  or  "wall  peices,"  which  were  mounted  on 
board.  This  had  the  desired  effect,  and  "  divers "  of 
the  French  were  killed.  Putnam,  who  at  this  junc- 
ture was  on  the  shore,  was  in  great  danger  again,  but, 
hurriedly  launching  his  batteauj  he  joined  the  rest  of 
the  party,  though  not  before  the  enemy,  who  made  him 
a  special  mark,  had  "  Shot  thro'  his  Blanket  in  Divers 
Places."  Finally,  the  English  "  put  ym  to  ye  Bush." 
When  they  "  Got  fairly  into  ye  Lake,"  says  the 
report,  we  "  Lay  upon  Our  Oars  and  Inquired  after 
the  Circomstances  of  ye  Party.  Found  none  Killed, 
but  one  Wounded  which  Gave  Joy  to  all  of  us  after 
so  Long  an  Engagement  which  I  Judge  was  near  2 

(1)  — N.  York  Doc.  Hist.,  Vol.  iv.  p.  176. 


92  COLONIAL      DAYS. 

Hours."1  Putnam  was  now  in  training  for  the  great 
work  that  he  was  afterwards  to  do  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution. 

The  report  of  James  Connor  of  Colonel  Cockcroft's 
regiment,  who  went  on  a  scout  November  5,  shows 
the  location  of  the  stockaded  fort  which  was  the  scene 
of  Putnam's  adventure.  It  appears  that  the  French 
had  now  posted  their  advance  guard  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Narrows.  Connor  found  their  fires  on  the  night 
of  November  5,  when  he  fell  back  four  miles  and 
passed  the  next  night  in  the  mouth  of  a  "  little  creek  " 
on  the  east  side  —  probably  Shelving  Fall  Creek. 
The  next  day  he  went  with  two  men  over  the  hills  on 
the  east  side  of  the  lake,  until  he  came  opposite  the 
fort  on  the  west  side,  where  the  lake  was  about  three 
hundred  yards  wide.  Here  they  saw  the  French 
come  down  to  the  water  and  carry  up  timber  on  hand- 
spikes to  the  encampment,  where  they  heard  "  work- 
men chopping  and  hammering,"  and  saw  "a  breastwork 
round  their  encampment  with  pickets."2 

This  was  probably  what  is  called  Friend's  Point, 
near  Anthony's  Nose,  at  least  if  their  estimate  of  dis- 
tances is  correct.  Connor  says  that  he  built  a  fire  on 
an  island  twenty  miles  from  Fort  William  Henry, 
though,  according  to  his  own  statement,  this  island 
must  have  been  south  of  the  Narrows,  which  are  only 


(1)  — N.  York  Doc.  Hist.,  Vol.  iv.  p.  176. 

(2)  — N.  York  Doc.  Hist.,  Vol.  iv.  p.  17&. 


COLONIAL       DATS.  ,93 

fourteen  miles  from  the  head  of  the  lake.  But  his 
account  is  not  perfectly  clear,  and  possibly  the  location 
of  the  fort  hi  question  was  at  the  more  advantageous 
position  afforded  by  Sabbath  Day  Point. 

The  scouting  was  carried  on  by  the  use  of  boats 
until  the  lake  was  frozen  over,  when  it  was  continued 
by  parties  going  over  the  ice  with  snow-shoes  and 
sleds. 

In  1756  the  Earl  of  London  assumed  the  command 
of  the  English  forces  in  North  America.  His  plan 
contemplated  a  general  attack  upon  the  Canadas. 
One  portion  of  his  army  was  designed  to  move  against 
Niagara  ;  another  was  to .  attack  Fort  du  Quesne ;  a 
third  was  to  cross  the  country  from  Cambridge  and 
operate  on  the  river  Chaudiere,  while  the  fourth  was 
to  attack  Crown  Point.  In  accordance  with  this  plan, 
six  thousand  men  were  assembled  near  the  head  of 
Lake  George  to  attack  the  latter  position.  The  colo- 
nial authorities  gave  the  command  of  this  force  to 
General  Winslow,  before  Loudon  reached  New  York; 
but  when  this  came  to  his  knowledge,  he  wished  to 
supersede  Winslow  by  Abercrombie,  who  was  one  of 
the  regular  officers.  Before  this  and  similar  disputes 
could  be  settled,  the  season  passed  away,  and  the 
troops  were  sent  back  to  Albany  and  New  York. 

It  is  universally  conceded  that  Loudon  was  a  weak 
and  inefficient  commander,  and  totally  disqualified  for 
the  position  in  which  favoritism  placed  him.  If 
remarkable  for  anything,  it  was  for  his  insolence  and 


94  COLONIAL       DAYS. 

tyranny,  of  the  which  the  citizens  of  New  York  had 
no  small  experience.  Franklin,  in  his  Autobiog- 
raphy,1 gives  us  a  view  of  his  character.  It  appears 
that  Franklin  had  occasion  to  visit  Lord  London's 
office  in  New  York,  where  he  met  a  Mr.  Innis,  who 
bi 'ought  the  despatches  of  Governor  Denny  from 
Philadelphia,  the  answer  to  which  he  expected  the 
next  day.  Meeting  him  a  fortnight  afterwards,  Dr. 
Franklin  expressed  his  surprise  because  he  had  not 
returned.  Mr.  Innis  explained  that  he  had  called 
every  day,  but  the  despatches  were  not  ready.  "  Is  it 
possible,"  said  Franklin,  "  when  he  is  so  great  a 
writer  ?  I  see  him  constantly  at  his  escritoire." 
"  Yes,"  said  Innis,  "  but  he  is  like  St.  George  on  the 
signs ;  always  on  horseback,  but  never  rides  forward." 

At  one  time  Loudon  had  no  less  than  fifty  thousand 
troops  under  his  command,  of  which  large  number 
fifteen  thousand  were  from  the  Old  Bay  State,  then 
not  at  all  in  danger.  With  this  force,  an  able  com- 
mander might  have  crushed  out  the  entire  population 
of  Canada ;  and  yet  nothing  was  done  for  the  country. 
This  season,  however,  there  was,  as  usual,  more  or 
less  scouting,  with  frequent  attacks  by  the  French  and 
Indians  upon  the  English  teamsters. 

July  7,  Rogers,  being  down  the  lake  with  his 
Hangers,  took  several  French  prisoners.  This  hard- 
hearted wretch  coolly  says  in  his  official  report,  that 

(1)  — Sparks' Life,  p.  219. 


COLONIAL       DAYS.  95 

"  one  of  the  wounded  could  not  march ;  therefore  put 
put  an  end  to  him  to  prevent  discovery."1  The  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case  fully  prove  that  this  barbarous 
act  admitted  no  justification. 

July  18,  Rogers  went  into  the  camp,  near  Sara- 
toga, "  with  eight  captives  and  four  scalps"* 

But  though  Loudon  did  nothing  during  the  summer, 
the  cold  season  was  not  allowed  to  pass  in  quiet. 
March  18,  1757,  a  force  of  French  and  Indians  under 
Rigaud,  attempted  to  surprise  Fort  William  Henry. 
After  a  careful  examination  of  the  position,  Rigaud 
found  that,  owing  to  the  vigilance  of  the  garrison,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  storm  the  fort.  Accordingly, 
he  turned  his  attention  to  the  destruction  of  the  bat- 
teaux  and  other  vessels,  hi  which  attempt  he  was,  at 
first,  not  very  successful.  The  next  day  he  invested 
the  fort  on  all  sides,  and  called  upon  the  commander 
to  surrender,  which  he  refused  to  do,  saying  that  he 
should  defend  himself  as  long  as  possible.  On  the 
next  night  the  French  again  resorted  to  the  use  of 
fire,  and  as  the  English  opposed  them  with  only  a  few 
shot  and  shells,  they  succeeded  in  burning  more  than 
three  hundred  batteaux,  besides  three,  sloops  that  were 
caught  in  the  ice,  and  a  storehouse  filled  with  provis- 
ions and  munitions  of  war.  The  absence  of  wind  on 
that  nijjht  saved  the  fort  itself  from  destruction.  The 


(1)  — Doc.  Hist.,  Vol.  iv.  p.  185. 

(2)  —  From  the  unpublished  MS.  Journal  of  the  Rev.  John  Graham, 
Chaplain  to  the  Connecticut  troops. 


96  COLONIAL      DAYS. 

next  two  nights  the  snow  prevented  all  operations. 
On  the  22d  a  final  attempt  was  made  upon  a  new 
sloop  on  the  stocks,  and  whose  bowsprit  touched  the 
bastion  of  the  fort.  In  this  they  were  successful. 
They  also  burned  two  other  storehouses  full  of  provis- 
ions, the  hospital,  a  saw-mill,  and  more  than  twenty 
buildings.1  On  the  23d  they  decamped  with  a  large 
amount  of  plunder. 

Stark  was  in  the  fort  at  the  time,  and  doubtless 
rendered  good  service  ;  but  the  dramatic  story  of  his 
saving  the  garrison  from  surprise,  which  is  told  in  his 
Life,  has  no  foundation  in  fact.  The  French  did  not 
attempt  any  assault,  nor  did  they  cut  holes  in  the  ice 
to  dispose  of  the  bodies  of  their  slain,  as  that  narrative 
claims.2 

Emboldened  by  Kigaud's  success,  and  influenced  by 
the  withdrawal  of  a  large  portion  of  the  troops  from 
the  vicinity  of  the  lake,  who  had  been  ordered  away 
to  Louisburg  to  share  in  the  miserable  failure  of  Lord 
Loudon,  the  commander-in-chief,  Montcalm,  deter- 
mined to  make  one  more  attempt  against  Fort  William 
Henry.  Accordingly,  on  the  12th  of  July  following, 
an  army  of  nine  thousand  French  and  Indians,  under 
Montcalm,  left  Montreal,  fully  equipped  and  with  a 
formidable  train  of  artillery. 

The  best  account  of  the  expedition  is  given  by  an 
eye-witness,  Father  Roubaud,  who  attended  the  Abe- 

(1)  —  Col.  Doc.,  Vol.  x.  p.  571. 

(2)  —  Stark's  Memoir  of  John  Stark,  p.  20. 


COLONIAL      DAYS.  97 

nakiu  Indians  as  their  priest  and  adviser.  He  says  in 
his  journal  : l  "  We  traversed  the  length  of  Lake 
Champlain,  where  the  dexterity  of  the  Indian  furnished 
us  with  an  amusing  spectacle.  Standing  up  in  the 
bow  of  his  canoe,  with  spear  in  hand,  he  darted  it  with 
wonderful  address,  and  struck  the  large  sturgeons, 
without  their  little  skiffs,  which  the  least  irregular 
motion  would  have  overturned,  appearing  to  lean 
in  the  slightest  degree  to  the  right  hand  or  the  left. 
.  .  .  The  fisherman  alone  laid  aside  his  paddle,  but  in 
return  he  was  charged  to  provide  for  all  the  others, 
an  office  in  whose  duties  he  fully  succeeded." 

At  the  end  of  six  days  they  came  in  sight  of  the 
fortifications  at  Ticonderoga,  which  place  had  been 
appointed  as  a  general  rendezvous  for  the  forces.  As 
the  Indians  approached  the  shore,  they  arranged  them- 
selves in  the  order  of  battle,  each  tribe  under  its  own 
ensign.  "  Two  hundred  canoes  thus  formed  in  beau- 
tiful order,"  he  says,  "furnished  a  spectacle  that  caused 
even  the  French  officers  to  hasten  to  the  banks." 

While  the  army  lay  at  Ticonderoga,  several  prelim- 
inary engagements  occurred  on  Lake  George. 

July  21,  M.  de  St.  Ours,2  who  was  scouting  at 
hie  a  la  Barque,  with  ten  men,  was  attacked  by  five 
English  barges,  each  carrying  sixteen  men.  There 
were  also  one  hundred  English  on  the  shore.  Yet 
St.  Ours  made  so  good  a  defence  that  he  was  able  to 

(1)  — Kip's  Early  Jesuit  Missions,  p.  144. 

(2)  — Col.  Doc.,  Vol.  x.  p.  594. 


98  COLONIAL      HAYS. 

escape  with  the  loss  of  four  —  three  slightly,  and  one 
mortally,  wounded.  The  English  loss,  though  exag- 
gerated by  the  French,  was  probably  considerable. 
This  took  place  at  Harbor  Island,  a  little  south  of 
Sabbath  Day  Point. 

July  23,  M.  Marin,  who  had  been  sent  toward 
Fort  Edward  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  mostly 
Indians,  attacked  the  English  outposts,  and  inflicted 
considerable  loss,  returning  to  Ticonderoga  in  safety, 
with  no  less  than  thirty-two  scalps.1 

July  26,  Colonel  John  Parker,  of  the  New  Jersey 
regiment,  was  sent  down  the  lake  to  reconnoitre,  with 
a  large  party  of  men  in  boats.  He  was  severely 
defeated,  his  force  being  completely  cut  in  pieces. 
The  French  report  says  that  about  four  hundred 
Indians,  under  M.  de  Carbiere,  lay  in  ambush  among 
the  islands  above  Sabbath  Day  Point,  and  that  when 
Colonel  Parker's  party  had  advanced  too  far  to  reteat, 
they  attacked  and  defeated  them  with  great  slaughter. 
Only  two  barges  escaped,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty 
of  the  English  were  taken  prisoners.  This  was 
acknowledged  to  be  a  severe  disaster.2  No  less  than 
a  hundred  and  thirty-one  were  killed  outright  by  the 
savages,  who  pursued  them  by  land  and  water,  merci- 
lessly cutting  them  down.  Only  twelve  were  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  escape  both  captivity  and  death.  The 
prisoners  were  treated  by  the  Indians  with  the  most 

(1)  — Col.  Doc.,  Vol.  x.  p.  591. 

(2)  —  ib.,  594.    Perm's  Archives,  iii.  472.    Kip's  Early  Jesuits,  p  .152. 


COLONIAL       DAYS.  99 

horrible  barbarity.  Father  Roubaud,  who  gives  an 
account  of  their  atrocities,  hardly  dared  to  raise  his 
head,  expecting  to  see  the  English  murdered  before 
his  eyes.  Eventually  his  fears  proved  too  true,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  witness  a  spectacle  more  horrible 
than  anything  he  had,  yet  seen.  He  writes:  "My 
tent  had  been  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  camp  of  the 
Outaouacs.  The  first  object  which  presented  itself  to 
my  eyes  on  arriving  there,  was  a  large  fire,  while  the 
wooden  spits  fixed  upon  the  earth  gave  signs  of  a 
feast.  There  was  indeed  one  taking  place.  But,  O 
heavens !  what  a  feast !  The  remains  of  the  body  of 
an  Englishman  was  there,  the  skin  stripped  off,  and 
more  than  one  half  the  flesh  gone.  A  moment  after, 
I  perceived  these  inhuman  beings  eat  with  famishing 
avidity  of  this  human  flesh ;.  I  saw  them  take  up  this 
detestable  broth  in  large  spoons,  and  apparently  with- 
out being  able  to  satisfy  themselves  with  it.  They 
informed  me  that  they  had  prepared  themselves  for 
this  feast  by  drinking  from  skulls  filled  with  human 
blood,  while  their  smeared  faces  and  stained  lips  gave 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  the  story.  What  rendered  it 
more  sad  was,  that  they  had  placed  very  near  them 
some  ten  Englishmen  to  be  spectators  of  their  infamous 
repast." 

The  good  man  was  powerless  in  the  midst  of  these 
barbarities,  and  his  appeals  in  behalf  of  the  prisoners 

(1)  —  Kip's  Early  Jesuits,  p.  155. 


IOO  COLONIAL       DAYS. 

were  met  by  threats  or  gibes,  the  savages  in  one 
instance  replying  by  offering  him  a  piece  of  broiled 
human  flesh.  The  prisoners  were  finally  taken  out  of 
their  hands  by  Montcalm,  and  sent  under  guard  to 
Montreal. 

On  the  first  of  August  the  main  body  of  the  army 
finally  embarked  on  Lake  George,  the  Chevalier  Levi 
having  marched,  three  days  previous,  down  the  west 
side  of  the  lake,  with  a  force  of  three  thousand  men,  to 
protect  those  who  were  to  follow  on  the  water.  The 
barges  moved  at  two  o'clock,  P.  M.,  and  continued  on 
until  they  left  "  Bald  Mountain,"  (Rogers  Slide)  "  to 
the  north."  Afterwards  they  "  doubled  a  cape," 
(Anthony's  Nose)  and  remained  there  during  a  severe 
storm  which  lasted  six  hours.  They  also  "  tarried  a 
short  time  opposite  to  the  Sugar  Loaf."  Father 
Roubaud  says  that  they  had  not  gone  more  than  four 
or  five  leagues  before  they  saw  the  proofs  of  their 
victory  of  the  24th.  Pie  writes :  "  There  were  the 
abandoned  English  boats,  .  .  .  but  the  most  striking 
spectacle  was  the  great  number  of  the  dead  bodies  of 
the  English."  Some  were  lying  on  the  banks,  and 
others  were  floating  in  the  water. 

The  next  morning  at  daybreak,  Father  Roubaud 
reached  "the  Bay  of  Ganasouke,"  (Northwest  Bay, 
near  Bolton,)  and  landed  near  de  Levi's  camp.  At 
10  o'clock  de  Levi  marched  forward,  and  at  noon 
Montcalm  moved  on  in  the  boats,  now  with  the  artil- 
lery in  the  van.  In  the  evening  two  boats  came  down 


COLONIAL      DATS.  IOI 

the  lake  from  Fort  William  Henry,  while  the  fleet 
was  quietly  winding  along  the  dusky  shore  of  "  Sandy 
Bay."  The  English,  perceiving  the  boat  which  be- 
longed to  the  priests,  then  covered  by  an  awning, 
steered  for  it  unsuspectingly,  as  if  loo  see  what  it  was. 
As  they  approached,  a  sheep  hi  the  boat  happened  to 
bleat,  when  they  took  the  alarm  and  endeavored  to 
escape.  The  silence  with  which  these  operations  had 
been  conducted  now  ended,  and  twelve  hundred  sava- 
ges suddenly  flew  to  the  pursuit,  uttering  the  most 
horrid  cries.  The  English  first  gained  the  land, 
deserted  their  boats,  and  fled  to  the  woods ;  but  not 
until  four  of  their  number  had  been  killed  and  two 
taken  prisoners.  Father  Roubaud  says  that  when 
the  account  of  the  affair  came  to  Montcalm,  he  was 
"  charmed  with  the  detail,"  and  retired  to  make  his 
plans  for  the  next  day.  During  the  night,  however, 
the  army  continued  to  move  on,  and  reached  the  bay 
on  ths  west  side  of  the  lake,  near  Fort  William  Henry. 
The  artillery  did  not  arrive  until  daybreak.  It  con- 
sisted of  thirty-two  cannon  and  five  mortars,  placed 
on  platforms  and  borne  on  boats.  In  passing  around 
the  point,  now  called  Cramer's  Point,  the  batteries 
came  in  full  view  of  the  English,  who  were  saluted  by 
a  "  general  discharge,"  which  at  "  this  time  was  mere 
ceremony,  but  it  announced  more  serious  matters." 

The  lake  now  resounded  on  all  hands  with  the 
sounds  of  war,  and  everything  was  in  motion.  Fort 
William  Henry,  which  the  French  sometimes  called 


102  COLONIAL       DAYS. 

Fort  George,  is  described  by  Father  Roubaud  as  "  a 
square,  flanked  by  four  bastions ;  the  curtains  were 
strengthened  with  stakes,  the  trenches  were  sunk  to 
the  depth  of  eighteen  or  twenty  feet."  The  walls  were 
built  of  pine  trees-  covered  with  sand.  It  mounted 
nineteen  cannon  and  four  or  five  nvortars,  while  the 
garrison  consisted  of  five  hundred  men.  Seventeen 
hundred  men  occupied  a  fortified  camp  on  the  site  of 
the  ruins  of  Fort  George.  Montcalm  landed  on  the 
west  side  of  the  lake,  a  short  distance  from  the  Lake 
House,  and  planted  his  batteries  about  seven  hundred 
yards  from  the  fort.  He  afterwards  marched  his 
regular  troops  to  a  position  south  of  the  fort,  sending 
LeCorne  with  seventeen  hundred  French  and  Indians 
a  little  further  on,  where  they  could  hold  the  road 
leading  to  Fort  Edward.  He  then  called  upon 
Colonel  Munroe  to  surrender,  which  demand  he  posi- 
tively declined,  as  he  was  expecting  immediate  rein- 
forcements from  General  Webb. 

The  siege  lasted  six  days,  during  which  time  the 
fort  was  defended  with  great  vigor,  though  without 
much  loss  of  life  on  either  side.  Aid  was  earnestly 
requested  of  General  Webb,  whose  troops  were 
anxious  to  march  to  the  rescue;  but  that  cowardly 
officer  finally  decided  to  do  nothing,  and  advised 
Colonel  Munroe  to  surrender,  who,  seeing  the  hope- 
lessness of  his  situation,  agreed  to  capitulate.  OB  the 
morning  of  August  9,  at  seven  o'clock,  a  white  flag 
was  hoisted  on  the  fort,  and  the  surrender  was  made 


COLONIAL,       DAYS. 


103 


on  the  conditions  that  the  garrison  and  the  troops  of 
the  intrenched  camp  should  march  out  with%the  honors 
of  war,  carrying  away  arms  and  baggage,  and  take 
with  them  one  cannon,  out  of  respect  for  the  gallant 
defence  they  had  made,  and  be  furnished  with  a 
sufficient  escort  to  Fort  Edward.  The  French,  accord- 
ingly took  possession  at  noon. 

Father  Roubaud  says 
that  the  terms  of  capit- 
ulation were  submitted 
to  the  Indian  chiefs,  and 
that  the  articles  were 
"  universally  applaud- 
ed." Yet  the  compact 
was  soon  violated  in 
the  most  horrible  man- 
ner. The  Indians  were 
thirsting  for  blood  and 
plunder,  and  even  while 
the  military  ceremony 
of  taking  possession 
was  going  on,  they 
penetrated  through  the 
embrasures  of  the  fort 
into  the  casemates 
where  the  sick  re- 
mained who  could  not  march  out  of  the  fort  with  their 
companions.  Some  of  these  were  among  the  first  vic- 
tims of  savage  cruelty.  Father  Roubaud  witnessed 


M  O  N  T  C  A  L  M*S      INDIAN  8. 


104  COLONIAL       DATS, 

their  atrocities.  He  writes  :  "  I  saw  one  of  these  bar- 
barians come  forth  out  of  the  casemates,  which  nothing 
but  the  most  insatiate  avidity  for  blood  could  induce 
him  to  enter,  for  the  infected  atmosphere  which  exhaled 
from  it  was  insupportable.  He  carried  in  his  hand  a 
human  head,  from  which  streams  of  blood  were  flow- 
ing, and  which  he  paraded  as  the  most  valuable  prize 
he  had  been  able  to  seize."  "  But,"  he  continues, 
"  this  was  only  a  slight  prelude  to  the  tragedy  of  the 
morrow.  Early  in  the  morning  the  Indians  began  to 
assemble  about  the  intrenchments,  demanding  of  the 
English  everything  valuable  which  their  greedy  eyes 
could  perceive.  .  .  Nor  were  these  requirements  re- 
jected by  the  English.  They  undressed,  they  stripped 
themselves,  to  purchase  their  lives."  In  the  mean- 
while the  troops  detailed  to  attend  them  on  the 
march  to  Fort  Edward,  arrived  and  hastily  formed, 
and  the  English  began  to  file  out.  Says  Father 
Eoubaud  :  "  Woe  to  those  who  closed  the  march,  or 
the  stragglers  whom  illness  or  any  other  reason  sepa- 
rated from  the  main  body  !  They  were  as  good  as 
dead,  and  their  lifeless  bodies  soon  covered  the  ground. 
.  .  .  This  butchery,  which  was  at  first  only  the  work 
of  a  few  savages,  becama  the  signal  which  transformed 
them  into  so  many  ferocious  beasts.  They  discharged 
right  and  left  heavy  blows  with  their  hatchets  on  those 
who  came  within  their  reach." 

The  number  that  fell  in  massacre,  which  filled  the 
public  mind  with  horror,  varies  greatly.     Father  Ron- 


COLONIAL       PAYS.  105 

baud  says  the  number  killed  did  not  exceed  forty 
or  fifty,  and  adds :  "  The  patience  of  the  English  in 
thus  being  contented  to  bow  their  heads  to  the  weapons 
of  the  executioner,  iiad  the  effect  of  shortly  stop- 
ping the  slaughter ;  but,"  he  adds,  "  this  did  not 
turn  the  savages  either  to  reason  or  equity.  With 
fearful  cries  they  engaged  themselves  in  making 
prisoners." 

The  most  of  the  accounts  of  this  affair  are  wild 
exaggerations,  the  loss  by  death  and  captivity  being 
placed  at  from  five  hundred  to  fifteen  hundred. 
The  first  victims  were  the  negroes  and  friendly  In- 
dians.1 Speaking  of  the  conduct  of  the  former  during 
the  siege,  one  of  the  gunners  wrote  that  "  Our  blacks 
behaved  better  than  the  whites."2 

It  would  be  difficult  to  exonerate  Montcalm  from 
all  blame.  He  might  have  anticipated  the  events  that 
occurred,  and  provided  a  sufficient  safeguard.  Le 
Corne,  indeed,  promised  much  in  the  way  of  protec- 
tion to  the  English,  but  did  little ;  and  Carver,  in  his 
journal,  mentions  one  French  soldier  who  repulsed 
the  Iliiglish  with  abusive  language  when  they  appealed 
for  protection.  Yet  it  would  be  unjust  to  ignore  the 
conduct  of  many  of  the  French  officers  and  soldiers 
who  hazarded  their  own  lives  to  save  those  of  the 
English.  Father  Roubaud,  the  good  priest  of  the 


(1)  —  Iloyt  says  that  one  friendly  Indian  was  burned     Ant.  Re- 
searches, p.  290. 

(2)  —  Ccl.  Doc.,  Vol.  vi.  p.  1005. 


106  COLONIAL      DATS. 

Abenakis,  was  every  way  true  to  his  profession,  and 
labored  earnestly  to  rescue  the  victims  of  savage  cru- 
elty. Among  others,  an  infant  separated  from  its 
mother,  and  had  fallen  into  the  *hands  of  a  relentless 
chief,  who  threatened  it  with  death,  unless  ransomed 
by  a  scalp.  This  child  was  saved  by  the  priest,  who 
obtained  a  scalp  from  the  stock  of  one  of  his  own 
Indians.  Father  Roubaud,  after  getting  possession  of 
the  child,  carried  it  in  his  arms  until  he  secured  an 
English  woman  to  act  as  its  nurse.  This  woman  had 
possession  of  the  child  but  a  few  hours  before  its 
mother  appeared,  and,  frantic  with  joy,  clasped  it  in 
her  arms. 

That  class  of  writers  who  furnish  what  may  be 
called  the  Apocrypha  of  history,  have  delighted  in 
wild  exaggerations  of  this  event.  Drawing  their 
material  from  the  crudest  sensation  accounts  of  the 
day,  they  have  not  hesitated  to  record  as  facts  the 
most  improbable  fancies.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
these  accounts  have  crept  into  so  many  of  our  popular 
school  histories,  in  one  of  which,  now  extensively  used, 
we  are  informed  that  when  Montcalm  went  away,  he 
left  the  dead  bodies  of  one  hundred  women  shockingly 
mangled  and  weltering  in  their  blood.  The  account 
is  based  upon  a  supposed  letter  of  Putnam's1  that  was 
iiever  written,  and  is  of  the  same  authority  as  that 
favorite  but  now  exploded  story  of  the  school-boy, 

(1)  — Lossing'B  Field  Book,  Vol.  i.  p.  111. 


COLONIAL      DAYS.  107 

which  relates  Putnam's  descent  into  the  wolf's  den. 
National  enmity  has  had  much  to  do  with  these  mis- 
representations of  Montcalm,  who  was  every  way  a 
noble  and  humane  man,  as  well  as  the  ablest  general 
of  his  day  in  all  North  America.  Yet  Smollet,  in  his 
History  of  England,  did  not  hesitate  to  lay  upon  him 
(in  addition  to  the  massacre  of  Fort  William  Henry) 
the  charge  of  giving  up  twenty  English  soldiers  at  the 
capture  of  Oswego,  the  previous  year,  to  be  butchered 
by  the  Indians.  The  charge,  however,  was  thoroughly 
refuted  at  the  time  by  an  official  investigation.  The 
real  author  of  the  calamity  of  Fort  William  Henry, 
was  Lord  Loudon,  who  left  the  country  exposed  to 
the  enemy. 

The  French  delayed  at  Fort  William  Henry  until 
August  1 6.  On  the  previous  night  the  fort  was  com- 
pletely destroyed  by  fire,  and  while  the  ruins  were 
still  wreathed  in  smoke,  Montcalm  embarked  and 
sailed  down  the  lake.  We  conclude  the  account  of 
this  sad  event  in  the  language  of  Bancroft,  who  says : 
"  The  Canadian  peasants  returned  to  gather  their 
harvests,  and  the  lake  resumed  its  solitude.  Nothing 
told  that  living  men  had  reposed  upon  its  margin, 
but  charred  rafters  of  ruins,  and  here  and  there,  on 
the  hill-side,  a  crucifix  among  the  pines  to  mark  a 
grave."1 

(1)  —  Bancroft's  U.  S.,  Vol.  iv.  p.  266. 


COLONIAL     DAYS. 


CHAPTER      VII. 

Fathers  that  like  so  many  Alexanders, 

Llave,  in  these  parts,  from  morn  till  even  fought, 

And  sheath'd  their  swords  for  lack  of  argument. 

AHERCROMBIE'S  EXPEDITION  —  THE  PREPARATIONS  —  THE 
\  OYAdE — THE  ATTACK— DEFEAT  —  RETREAT  —  AMHERST'S 
CAMPAIGN  —  CAPTURE  OP  TICONDEROG  A. 

N  THE  following  year  another 
large  army  assembled  at  the 
head  of  the  lake  for  the  purpose 
of  reducing  Ticonderoga,  and 
atoning  for  the  acts  of  the 
French  in  the  previous  year. 
It  was  commanded  by  General 
Abercrombie,  who  had  succeeded 
Lord  Loudon.  The  campaign  was 
lanned  with  great  confidence,  and 
was  inaugurated  by  scouts  and  skir- 
mishes. On  the  23d  of  June  three 
separate  detachments  of  Rogers' 
Rangers  were  sent  out  on  the  lake 
to  reconnoitre ;  and  Wednesday 
morning,  July  5,  at  eight  o'clock, 
the  well-appointed  army,  now  sixteen  thousand 
strong,  embarked  in  more  than  one  thousand  boats 
and  batteaux.  The  day  was  one  of  unusual  beauty, 


COLONIAL       DAYS.  lOQ 

and  scarcely  a  cloud  obscured  the  sky.  The  fleet 
was  arranged  in  complete  military  order.  The 
Regulars  sailed  in  the  centre,  the  Provincials  on 
the  left,  and  the  Light  Infantry  on  the  right  of 
the  advanced  guard.  The  army  was  composed  of 
fine  and  varied  material.  There  was  the  sturdy, 
brown-faced  farmer  from  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut, the  determined,  phlegmatic  Dutchman,  the 
hardy  Englishman,  the  dashing  Green-Mountain 
Boy,  and  the  intrepid  Scot.  Lord  Howe's  regiment 
was  one  of  much  note,  while  its  young  commander 
was  the  "  Lycurgus "  of  the  whole  army,  being  evi- 
dently of  much  more  importance  than  Abercrombie 
himself. 

The  troops  moved  in  high  spirits,  confident  of  an 
easy  victory.  But  few  more  splendid  scenes  have 
ever  been  witnessed.  The  lines  of  boats  adorned 
with  streamers  and  flags,  the  troo.ps  clad  in  bright 
national  colors,  the  burnished  arms,  the  insignia  of 
rank,  the  placid  water,  the  long  banks  of  oars  dipping 
to  martial  notes,  and  the  bright  summer  sun  shining 
down  upon  all  —  formed  a  display  of  rare  beauty. 
Not  the  least  conspicuous  part  of  the  pageant  was  the 
Highland  Regiment,  of  which  old  Duncan  Campbell, 
of  Invershaw,  was  Major.  They  could  not  have 
appeared  to  finer  advantage  even  on  their  own  bright. 
Loch  Katrine.  Moving  out  from  under  the  shadow 
of  the  French  Mountain,  they  sail  on  towards  the 
verdant  isles,  as  if  performing  some  holiday  parade, 


110  COLONIAL      DAYS. 

reminding  us  of  Scott's  picture  in  the  Lady  of  the 
Lake : 

"  Now  you  might  see  the  tartans  brave, 
And  plaids  and  plumage  dance  and  wave ; 
Now  see  the  bonnet  sink  and  rise, 
As  his  tough  oar  the  rower  plies; 
See  flashing  at  each  sturdy  stroke, 
The  wave  ascending  into  smoke; 
See  the  proud  pipers  on  the  bow, 
And,  mark  the  gaudy  streamers  flow 
From  their  loud  chanters  down,  and  sweep 
The  furrowed  bosom  of  the  deep, 
As  rushing  through  the  lake  amain, 
They  plied  the  ancient  Highland  strain." 

The  fleet  continued  on  its  course  all  day  until  dusk, 
when  they  reached  Sabbath  Day  Point.  Here  they 
remained  until  eleven  o'clock,  waiting  for  three  brig- 
ades and  the  artillery;  and  when  these  came  up  all 
moved  on.  At  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning,  they 
arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  lake,  disembarked,  and 
marched  towards  the  French  outworks.  The  route 
lay  through  dense  forests ;  and  being  led  by  unskilful 
guides,  the  troops  fell  into  some  disorder,  though  still 
able  to  move  on.  Lord  Howe  led  the  right  centre 
column,  and  when  near  Trout  Brook,  encountered  the 
party  of  De  Trepazec,  less  than  three  hundred  in 
number,  returning  from  a  scout  at  Rogers'  Slide.  The 
French  opened  fire,  and  at  the  first  volley  Lord 
Howe  was  killed  by  a  musket-ball.  This  threw  the 
English  into  still  greater  confusion,  but  they  rallied 
and  attacked  the  French  with  such  impetuosity,  that 
nearly  the  whole  body  was  either  killed,  wounded,  or 


COLONIAL       DAYS.  Ill 

made  prisoners.  De  Trepazec  himself  was  mortally 
wounded.  By  this  engagement  the  English  gained 
nothing,  except  the  forest,  in  which  the  principal  por- 
tion of  the  troops  passed  the  night.  An  officer  who 
wrote  a  letter  to  a  New-York  paper,  speaks  of  the 
action  as  highly  discreditable  to  the  English,  who 
behaved  badly,  on  the  whole,  and  at  one  time  came 
near  being  beaten  by  a  mere  handful  of  men. 

The  next  morning,  the  7th  instant,  Abercrombie 
withdrew  the  whole  army  to  the  landing-place.  Col- 
onel Bradstreet  then  went  forward  to  rebuild  the 
bridges.  In  the  afternoon  the  main  body  of  the  army 
advanced  to  attack  the  French  works.  The  assault 
was  made  with  much  spirit.  Three  times  the  English 
were  repulsed,  and  as  often  returned  to  the  charge ; 
but  "  at  the  end  of  four  hours,  after  a  series  of  efforts 
that  would  have  done  honor  to  the  soldiers  of  Caesar, 
and  an  exhibition  of  valor  that  would  have  rivalled 
the  most  romantic  days  of  chivalry,"  the  army,  about 
seven  o'clock,  was  ordered  to  retire,  though  not  before 
the  English  had  fired  by  mistake  upon  one  of  their 
own  corps.  The  night  was  spent  at  the  landing,  and 
Saturday  morning  the  army  embarked  and  rowed 
sadly  up  the  lake,  arriving  at  Fort  George  on  Sunday 
evening,  the  9th.  No  corps  suffered  more  than  the 
Highlanders,  who,  until  now,  with  one  exception, — 
the  Battle  of  Fontenoy,  in  1745,  —  had  always  been 
completely  successful.  Three  times  they  mounted 
the  French  works,  but  not  being  supported  they  were 


I  T  2  COLONIAL       DAYS. 

forced  to  retire.  Gray-haired  Duncan  Campbell  fell 
at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  with  John  Campbell  the 
commander,  who  was  succeeded  by  Colonel  Gordon 
Graham.  During  the  battle,  Abercrombie  remained 
at  a  safe  distance,  and  not  a  single  piece  of  artillery 
was  used  by  the  English,  who,  under  a  general  of 
respectable  spirit  and  capacity,  would  have  easily  cap- 
tured Ticonderoga.  During  the  day  Abercrombie 
ordered  a  movement  against  the  enemy's  left  wing ; 
but,  after  several  boats  had  been  sunk  by  the  artillery 
of  the  French,  the  attempt  was  given  up.  This  was  a 
point  that  the  most  careful  writers  have  failed  to  notice.1 

This  inglorious  campaign  was  hot  terminated,  how- 
ever, before  Colonel  Bradstreet  marched  from  the 
lake  with  twenty-seven  hundred  men  and  destroyed 
the  French  forts  at  Frontenac.  When  this  had  been 
accomplished,  Bradstreet  returned  to  the  lake,  and  the 
bulk  of  Abercrombie's  army  went  into  winter  quarters 
at  Albany,  New  York,  and  elsewhere. 

The  next  year  Abercrombie  was  removed,  and  Lord 
Amherst  was  appointed  in  his  place.  This  able  gen- 
eral accomplished  the  reduction  of  Ticonderoga  with 
but  little  loss  of  life.  Before  the  campaign  opened, 
Rogers  was  active  on  the  lake  with  his  Rangers. 
March  3,  he  left  the  head  of  the  lake  with  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty-eight  men,  and  proceeded  on  the  ice  to 
the  Narrows,  and  afterwards  went  on  to  Ticonderoga. 
There  he  suffered  a  severe  defeat  from  the  French 

(1)  — N.  Y.  Col.  Doc.,  Vol.x.  p.  84«. 


COLONIAL      DAYS.  113 

and  Indians,  and  returned  by  the  way  of  Sabbath  Day 
Point  to  Long  Island,  about  five  miles  from  Fort 
William  Henry.  At  this  place  he  encamped  on  the 
night  of  the  8th.  The  next  day  he  went  to  Fort 
Edward,  carrying  the  wounded  on  sleds. 

June  21,  General  Amherst,  accompanied  by  Gen- 
eral Gage,  moved  to  Lake  George  with  a  portion  of 
the  forces,  composed  of  the  Royal  Highlanders  and 
Provincials,  who  at  once  busied  themselves  in  strength- 
ening the  camp. 

On  the  -27th,  some  officers  who  were  fishing  at 
Diamond  Island  were  surprised  by  the  French  scouts 
and  nearly  captured.  July  1,  troops  to  the  number 
of  fifteen  hundred,  under  Colonel  Montressor,  were 
busy  building  a  stone  fort,1  afterwards  called  Fort 
George,  having  in  the  meantime  erected  a  temporary 
stockade.  July  2,  the  enemy  was  extremely  bold, 
notwithstanding  the  preparations  of  Amherst.  On 
that  day  sixteen  of  the  Jersey  Blues  had  gone  out 
from  the  fort  to  get  brushwood  for  the  ovens,  and 
were  attacked  by  two  hundred  and  forty  French,  who 
killed  and  scalped  six,  wounded  two,  took  four  pris- 
oners, and  only  four  escaped.  The  French  raised  a 
loud  halloo,  and  displayed  the  scalps  in  plain  sight  of 
the  fort,  and  then  ran  to  their  canoes,  which  were  only 
two  miles  from  the  head  of  the  lake.2 

July  3,  the  most  of  the  articles  buried  by  Aber- 
crombie,  at  the  close  of  the  previous  season,  still 

(1)  —  Knox  Jour.,  Vol.  i.  p.  378.     (2)  —  N.  Y.  Mercury,  July  9, 1759. 


114  COLONIAL      DATS. 

remained  undiscovered,  though  the  French  had  found 
and  raised  a  battery  of  eight  pieces  sunk  in  the  lake. 
July  5,  the  "  Halifax  Sloop,"1  mounting  fourteen  guns, 
which  had  been  sunk  to  prevent  capture,  was  success- 
fully raised.  July  12,  Major  Campbell  and  tour  hun- 
dred men  embarked  in  batteaux  and  "proceeded  to 
the  islands  on  the  lake  to  drive  the  enemy  from 


OLD      HUT  —  1758. 

thence,"  taking  a  floating  battery  of  one  twelve-pound 
gun.  The  French  were  driven  away,  and  their  "work? 
and  huts "  destroyed  and  burned.  The  name  of  the 

(1)  —  "On  the  llth.  instant  was  launched  here,  in  13  Days  from 
laying  the  Keel,  the  Sloop  Earl  of  Halifax,  51  Feet  Keel,  about  100 
Tons  Burthen,  built  by  the  direction  of  Commodore  Loring  and  Col. 
ISagley.  Her  rigging  being  fitted,  expected  she  will  sail  on  a  cruise 
on  the  Lake,  in  a  day  or  two."  Letter  from  Lake  George,  Aug.  21, 
1758. 


COLONIAL      DATS.  115 

islands  in  question  is  not  given.  The  French  lost  one 
canoe  and  all  the  men  in  it. 

The  preparations  for  the  expedition  having  been 
made  with  great  care,  the  army,  composed  of  more 
than  eleven  thousand  men,  embarked  in  whaleboats 
and  batteaux,  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  July, 
and  moved  down  the  lake  in  four  columns,  the  sloop 
Halifax  sailing  in  the  rear.  The  soldiers  rowed  by 
turns.  An  incredible  amount  of  labor  was  spent  in 
embaVking,  and  some  of  the  boats  proved  useless. 
One  with  a  hundred  barrels  of  powder  sunk  before 
leaving  the  shore  ;  likewise  a  raft  with  two  ten-inch 
mortars. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  army  reached  the  Narrows,  and 
after  pausing  a  short  time,  moved  on  with  a  fresh 
breeze  and  a  hazy  sky.  At  night  the  expedition 
moored,1  the  weather  being  rough  with  "  a  disagreeable 
tumbling  sea."  The  next  day  was  Sunday,  July  23, 
but  at  daylight  the  fleet  proceeded,  and  in  a  few  hours 
reached  the  foot  of  the  lake.  The  army  landed  with- 
out delay,  and  marched  for  Fort  Ticonderoga.  They 
reached  the  enemy's  intrenchments  after  some  light 
skirmishing,  and  the  troops  lay  upon  their  arms  all 
night.  In  the  morning,  seeing  General  Amherst 
drawing  up  his  artillery,  and  finding  that  he  had  also 
launched  batteaux  in  the  lake,  the  French  abandoned 
their  intrenchments,  of  which  the  English  took  pos- 

(1)  — I'robably  below  Sabbath  Da;-  I'oiut. 


Il6  COLONIAL      DATS. 

session,  in  the  face  of  a  brisk  fire,  and  began  prepara- 
tions for  a  siege ;  but  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  night  of 
the  26th,  some  deserters  from  the  French  came  in, 
announcing  that  the  enemy  had  evacuated  the  fort  and 
were  retreating.  Very  soon  after  the  magazine  blew 
up  and  set  the  wood-work  on  fire.  The  flames  rapidly 
communicated  with  the  loaded  guns  and  shell,  and  for 
a  time  created  a  continuous  fire.  The  next  morning 
a  sergeant  went  into  the  fort,  at  the  risk  of  his  life, 
and  hauled  down  the  French  flag.  Thus  the  fort  was 
taken  with  a  loss  of  only  thirty  or  forty  in  killed 
and  wounded,  which  might  have  been  done  the  year 
before. 

But  Lord  Amherst,  though  a  brave  and  faithful 
officer,  failed  to  take  advantage  of  his  success.  Instead 
of  moving  at  once  against  the  French,  and  to  the  aid 
of  "Wolfe,  he  delayed  to  repair  the  works  at  Ticonde- 
roga  and  Crown  Point,  and  prepare  batteaux,  until 
more  than  two  months  had  slipped  away,  when  the 
season  was  too  far  advanced  to  begin  operations.  The 
French  army  was  not  more  than  one  fourth  as  large 
as  his  own,  and  Montcalm  never  seriously  intended  to 
hold  Ticonderoga,  where  it  was  impossible  for  him  to 
receive  reinforcements,  and  yet  they  were  allowed  to 
escape  down  Champlain.  Nevertheless,  his  victory 
brought  comparative  peace  to  the  shores  of  Lake 
George,  and  ultimately  removed  the  contest  towards 
the  Canadas,  so  that  on  September  21,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  DeLancey  issued  a  proclamation  calling 


COLONIAL      DATS.  117 

upon  the  settlers  to  return  once  more  to  their  homes, 
where  they  lived  in  quiet  until  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

In  the  meanwhile,  many  of  those  who  had  served  in 
the  wars  applied  to  the  colony  of  New  York  for  grants 
of  land  around  the  lake.  Among  them  was  Rogers 
the  Ranger,  who,  with  twenty-five  others,  applied 
for  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land  on  the  west 
side  of  Lake  George,  extending  from  Fort  William 
Henry  to  Tongue  Mountain.  It  may  also  be  noted, 
that  here,  in  1776,>Rogers,  being  then  a  Tory,  re- 
newed the  application  to  the  British  authorities,  coolly 
proposing  "  Rogers'  Mount,"  as  the  name  of  the 
grant. 

April  20,  1773,  Mr.  Samuel  Deall,  a  merchant  of 
New  York,  who  was  much  interested  in  building  mills 
and  improving  the  lands  around  Ticonderoga,  peti- 
tioned for  Ihe  exclusive  right  to  establish  a  ferry  across 
Lake  George,  though  the  right  was  not  granted.  He 
was  associated  in  the  improvements  here  with  one 
Lieutenant  Stoughton,  who  was  drowned  on  the  lake 
near  the  close  of  the  year  1767,  when  his  boat  went 
to  the  bottom  with  all  its  valuable  freight. 

About  this  time  the  settlers  had  become  quite 
numerous.  As  early  as  1768,  Mr.  Deall  had  a  small 
vessel  on  the  lake  called  the  "  Petty  Anger,"1  which 

(1)— This  is  probably  a  mistake  of  the  printer.  It  should  rend 
"  Petti-auga," —  a  small  vessel  or  ship.  The  following  extract  from 
Danlap's  New  York,  (Vol.  ii,,  Appen.,  p.  177,)  gives  a  correct  idea 


Il8  COLONIAL      DAYS. 

was  designed  to  traverse  the  lake,  "  if  any  freight 
offers  worth  going  over."  It  was  in  charge  of  one 
John  Jones,  who  lived  at  Fort  William  Henry. 

The  Indians  came  here  in  the  summer  season  in 
considerable  numbers,  feeling  that  they  had  a  tolerable 
right  to  the  soil.  They  were  not  always  peaceably 
tolerated,  as  appears  from  the  following  account  of 
Levi  Beardsley,  who  says  his  grandfather,  before  the 
Revolution,  made  annual  excursions  to  the  great  for- 
ests bordering  on  Lake  George,  the  favorite  hunting- 
ground  of  the  Iroquois.  He  tells  that  on  one  occa- 
sion, "coming  near  a  swampy  piece  of  ground,  his 
companion  remarked  that  game  was  plenty  in  that 
neighborhood,  and  asked  him  to  walk  with  him  to  the 
edge  of  the  swamp,  where  some  one  had  shot  a  large 
buck  a  few  days  before.  They  repaired  to  the  spot, 
where  his  companion  pulled  away  a  few  pieces  of 
rotten  wood,  that  had  been  thrown  on  a  large  Indian, 
who  lay  there  partly  stamped  in  the  mud.  I  have  no 
suspicion,"  he  says,  "  that  my  grandfather  ever  shot, 
or  encouraged  the  shooting  of  Indians,  but  it  is  very 
certain,  that  he  occasionally  associated  with  those  who 
indulged  in  this  interesting  business.  Those  times 
were  perilous,"  he  continues,  "  and  conflicts  frequent 
between  the  white  and  red  man.  .  .  .  They  were  inev- 

of  this  class  of  vessels,  in  one  of  which  Mr.  Vanderbilt  began  his 
career  as  a  Staten-Island  ferryman  :  "  A  perri  augur  or  petty  auga,  a 
boat  without  keel,  with  two  masts  and  two  large  sails,  the  lack  of  keel 
supplied  by  lee-boards — all  these  managed  by  one  man,  who  was 
likewise  helmsman,  and  very  frequently  drunk." 


COLONIAL      DAYS.  IIQ 

itable,  and  of  no  uncommon  occurrence ;  for  it  was  a 
question  whether  the  red  man  alone  should  enjoy  the 
game  of  the  country."1 

The  handful  of  military  stationed  at  Ticonderoga, 
were  now  chiefly  useful  in  preserving  the  peace 
among  the  lawless  inhabitants  of  the  New-Hamp- 
shire Grants,  which  extended  as  far  south  as  the  head 
of  the  lake.  Prominent  among  the  New-Hampshire 
men,  who,  at  times,  invaded  the  territory  of  New 
York,  was  Colonel  Ethan  Allen,  who  often  played  the 
part  of  a  swaggering  brigand.  The  fortifications  were 
now,  also,  in  a  bad  condition.  In  1768,  Fort  George 
was  practically  abandoned.  In  April,  1773,  the  fort 
at  Crown  Point  caught  fire,  and  the  magazine,  contain- 
ing one  hundred  barrels  of  powder,  blew  up,  completely 
destroying  the  works.  The  minutes  of  the  Council  at 
the  close  of  the  following  September,  say  that  Ticon- 
deroga was  in  so  ruinous  a  condition,  that  there  was 
no  accommodation  for  more  than  about  fifty  men.  In 
1774,  Governor  Try  on  reported  that  "  only  a  few  men 
were  kept  at  the  south  end  of  Lake  George  to  facili- 
tate the  transportation  of  supplies  to  Ticonderoga 
and  Crown  Point ;"  from  which  it  appears  that  the 
British  authorities  were  but  poorly  prepared  for  the 
events  about  to  take  place. 

(1) —  Bcardslcy's  Reminiscences,  p.  16. 
(2)  —  Doc.  Hist.,  N.  Y.,  i.  p.  618. 


REVOLUTIONARY    SCENES. 


CHAPTER      VIII. 

Wake,  soldier,  wake ! — thy  war-horse  waits 
To  bear  thee  to  the  battle  back. 

FORT   GEORGE  —  NORDBERG  —  SCHTTTLER  —  SICKNESS  - 
BURGOYKE— INVASION  OP  NORTHERN  NEW  YORK— PEACE. 


7 


ASSING  on  to  the  year 
1775,  we  find  the  country 
in  the  excitement  of  a  revo- 
lution, which  was  inaugurat- 
ed at  Lake  George  by  an  earth- 
quake, which  did  no  harm.  But 
the  lake  at  once  became  the  thea- 
tre of  exciting  events,  as  it  still 
formed  a  part  of  the  central  route 
between  Albany  and  Montreal.  The 
English  felt  the  importance  of  keeping 
possession  of  this  route,  and  one  of 
their  journals  of  that  date  says,  that, 
in  event  of  its  being  held  by  the  Americans,  the 
British  troops  would  be  brought  around  to  New  York 
by  water,  as  another  campaign  could  not  be  thrown 
away  in  "  frog-battles  "  on  the  lakes.  Yet  Burgoyne 
ultimately  thought  differently. 


K EVOLUTIONARY      SCENES.  121 

The  Americans,  however,  were  on  the  alert,  and  the 
New-Englanders  resolved  on  the  seizure  of  Ticon- 
deroga,  which  was  the  key  of  the  whole  position. 
This  was  accomplished  by  Benedict  Arnold  and  Ethan 
Allen,  on  the  morning  of  May  10,  without  the  loss  of 
a  man.  And  serious  efforts  were  recently  made  to 
show  that  a  similar  exploit  was  performed  at  Fort 
George,  two  days  afterward.  One  account,  which  not 
long  since  appeared,  stated  that  on  the  reception  of 
the  news  of  the  Battle  of  Lexington,  one  Daniel  Parks, 
of  Sandy  Hill,  raised  a  band  of  volunteers,  and  after- 
wards marched  to  Fort  George,  which,  together  with 
"Fort  Gage,"  was  garrisoned  by  two  companies  of 
artillery.  On  his  arrival  at  the  fort  his  demonstra- 
tions were  so  impressive  as  to  cause  the  garrison  to 
flee  down  the  lake  to  Diamond  Island,  where  they 
intrenched.  The  commander,  it  appears,  was  left 
behind,  and,  on  surrendering  his  sword,  is  repre- 
sented as  telling  Parks  that  his  neck  would  "stretch" 
for  "  this  thing."  According  to  the  representations 
given,  this  alleged  action  of  Daniel  Parks  was  quite 
as  meritorious  as  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga.  But 
though  it  may  seem  a  pity  to  spoil  a  story,  we,  never- 
theless, have  abundant  means  for  proving  the  account 
a  fabrication. 

It  has  already  been  shown  that  the  fort  was  aban- 
doned eight  years  before  this  time,  while  Governor 
Tryon  reported  that  the  year  previous  only  a  few  men 
lived  there  to  forward  supplies  ;  while  "  Fort  Gage," 


122  REVOL  U%T  IONARY      SCENES. 

the  little  earthwork  on  a  neighboring  eminence,  which 
was  probably  erected  in  1759  by  General  Amherst, 
never  possessed  a  garrison  or  a  gun.  The  position  at 
the  head  of  the  lake  had  at  this  period  lost  its  former 
importance,  and  therefore  it  is 'not  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose, that  while  no  effort  was  made  to  strengthen 
more  commanding  posts,  Fort  George  had  been  rein- 
forced by  two  companies  of  artillery.  Indeed,  this 
was  a  force  superior  to  all  the  other  garrisons  com- 
bined. Besides,  the  intercepted  despatches  of  General 
Carlton  to  General  Gage,  show  that  the  total  number 
of  British  troops  in  Canada  at  this  time  numbered 
only  seven  hundred  and  twenty-five,  including  the 
garrisons  at  Ticonderoga,  Skenesborough,  and  Crown 
Point.  The  condition  of  affairs  at  the  lake,  prior  to 
1775,  would  constitute  a  sufficient  denial  of  the  story 
of  Parks. 

And  the  documentary  evidence  of  the  year  1775, 
goes  to  show  that  everything  remained  unchanged, 
except  that  fewer  persons  lived  near  the  fort.  May 
12,  there  were  only  two  persons  at  the  fort,  who  were 
engaged  in  the  express  business.  The  fort  had  no 
commander,  but  the  lake  had  a  nominal  "  Governor"; 
and  the  apprehension  and  dismissal  of  this  person  has 
furnished  the  only  ground  for  the  romance  of  Daniel 
Parks.  The  person  thus  treated  was  Mr.  John  Nord- 
berg,1  formerly  an  officer  in  the  English  army.  In 

(1)  —  Mr.  Kordberg  was  a  native  of  Sweden,  where  he  was  torn  In 
1710.    Favoring  the  French  faction  there,  he  was  persecuted,  and  left 


REVOLUTIONARY    «S  C  E  N  E  S  .  123 

1774,  as  a  reward  for  his  military  services,  he  was 
appointed  "  Governor "  of  Lake  George,  an  office 
without  duties.  The  terms  of  his  appointment  left 
him  at  liberty  to  reside  anywhere  in  America.  At  the 
period  referred  to,  he  was  living,  not  in  Fort  George, 
but  in  a  cottage  near  by,  where,  being  an  old  man,  and 
an  invalid,  he  passed  his  time  after  the  manner  of  a 
hermit,  gladly  escaping  from  the  political  discussions 
of  the  day.  And  the  records  show  that  Mr.  Nordberg 
was  actually  visited  by  a  party  who  went  through  the 
form  of  an  arrest,  but  afterwards  gave  him  a  passport 
to  New  Lebanon.  The  person  who  took  this 
responsibility  was  Captain  Bernard  Romans,  a 


Sweden.  Ho  entered  the  British  service  in  January,  1758,  as  one  of 
the  foreign  officers  of  the  Royal  Americans.  He  served  in  the  French 
war,  receiving  two  wounds.  He  afterwards  went  with  his  battalion 
to  the  West  Indies.  In  1773  he  went  to  England,  being  invalidated, 
but  returned  to  America  the  next  year  as  Governor  of  Lake  George. 
May  the  12th,  (not  April,  as  Governor  Tryou  says,  in  Col.  Doc.,  Vol. 
viii.  p.  597,)  he  was  apprehended  at  his  cottage  and  sent  away.  De- 
cember 15,  the  Provincial  Congress  gave  him  liberty  to  remove  to 
England;  but  it  appears  that  he  remained  in  New  York,  where  he 
died  October  9, 1782.  See  Jour.  Prov.  Congress  of  N.  Y.,  Vol.i.  p.  220. 
We  also  find  the  following  in  Henry's  travels  at  Lake  Superior,  1771,  p. 
231 :  "  Mr.  Norburg,  a  Russian  gentleman,  acquainted  with  metals,  and 
holding  a  commission  in  the  sixtieth  regiment,  and  then  in  garrison 
at  Michilimackinac,  accompanied  us  on  this  latter  expedition.  As  we 
rambled,  examining  the  thods,  or  loose  stones,  in  search  of  minerals, 
Mr.  Norburg  chanced  to  meet  with  one,  of  eight  pounds  weight,  ot  a 
blue  color,  and  semi-transparent.  This  he  carried  to  England,  where 
it  produced  in  the  proportion  of  sixty  pounds  of  silver  to  a  hundred 
weight  of  ore.  It  was  reposited  in  the  British  Museum.  The  same 
Mr.  Norburg  was  shortly  afterward  appointed  to  the  government  of 
Luke  George." 


124  REVOLUTIONARY      SCENES. 

member  of  the  Connecticut  Committee  appointed  to 
take  possession  of  "Ticonderoga  and  its  depen- 
dencies."1 

Several  writers,  in  giving  an  account  of  the  action 
of  the  Connecticut  Committee,  state  that  Romans  left 
his  associates  at  Bennington,  and  did  not  appear  until 
he  came  to  Ticonderoga,  May  14.  Mott  says  in  his 
journal :  "  Mr.  Romans  left  us  and  joined  us  no  more ; 
we  were  all  glad,  as  he  had  been  a  trouble  to  us,  all 
the  time  he  was  with  us."2 

It  appears  that  Romans,  finding  it  impossible  to 
manage  the  other  members  of  the  Committee,  with 
reference  to  the  surprise  of  Ticonderoga,  decided  to 
seize  Fort  George  on  his  own  account.  This  was 
certainly  included  in  the  instructions  of  the  Committee, 
and  it  was  the  only  thing  left  him  to  do,  as  the  sur- 
prise of  Skenesborough  was  already  provided  for. 
Therefore,  without  consulting  any  one,  he  went  to 
the  head  of  the  lake,  took  possession  of  what  time 
and  the  weather  had  left  of  Fort  George,  and  sent 
away  Mr.  Nordberg  to  New  Lebanon. 

Romans  felt  that  the  capture  of  an  abandoned  fort 
was  not  a  thing  to  boast  of,  and  therefore  gave  no  pub- 
licity to  his  action.  It  has  never  even  been  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga. 

Daniel  Parks  may  have  followed  in  the  train  of 
Captain  Romans,  and  may  also  have  been  a  member 
of  the  garrison,  when  it  was  soon  after  found  necessary 

(1)  —  See  Appendix.    I/          (2)  —  Conn.  Hist.  Col.,  Vol.  i.  p.  169. 


REVOLUTIONARY      SCENES.  125 

to  maintain  a  small  force  at  this  point ;  but  that  he 
raised  troops  for  the  capture  of  what  he  knew  to  be  a 
ruinous  and  deserted  work,  is  not  to  be  supposed  for  a 
moment.  Mott'says  in  his  Journal,  that  they  sent 
men  "  to  waylay  the  roads  "  leading  to  "  Fort  Edward 
and  Lake  George," 1  for  the  express  purpose  of  pre- 
venting alarm  in  what  was,  on  the  whole,  a  Tory 
neighborhood.  Indeed,  it  has  not  been  proved  that 
Parks  was  on  the  ground  at  the  time  in  any  capacity. 
Still,  there  is  a  monument  in  the  bury  ing-ground  at 
Sandy  Hill  which  states  that  he  was  the  man  to  whom 
the  British  officer  surrendered  Fort  George.  But,  as 
shown  from  the  above  account,  the  fort  had  neither 
garrison  nor  commander.  The  story  is  a  myth. 

From  a  document2  never  before  published,  we  learn 
the  outside  cost  of  the  work  of  Captain  Romans, 
which  probably  was  less  than  thirty  shillings.  The 
document  is  also  of  value,  in  showing  what  disposition 
was  made  of  the  British  prisoners  taken  at  Ticon- 
deroga. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Nordberg's  dismissal,  the  colonial 
authorities  found  it  necessary  to  establish  a  small  garri- 
son at  Lake  George,  chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  forward- 
ing supplies  to  the  troops  operating  on  Lake  Champlain. 

May  25,  it  was  voted  by  the  Continental  Congress 
to  leave  the  authorities  of  New  York  to  decide  what 
troops  should  be  stationed  at  Lake  George.  May  30, 
New  York  not  having  raised  any  troops,  Governor 

(1)  —  Conn.  Hist.  Coll.,  Vol.  i.  p.  169.        (2)  —  See  Appendix.    II. 


125  REVOLUTIONARY      SCENES. 

Trumbull,  of  Connecticut,  ordered  one  thousand  men, 
under  Colonel  Hinman,  to  Ticonderoga,  where  four 
hundred  of  them  arrived  about  the  middle  of  June. 
July  1,  there  were  upwards  of  one  hundred  men  sta- 
tioned at  each  end  of  the  lake. 

Major  General  Philip  Schuyler.  of  New  York,  hav- 
ing been  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Northern 
department,  went  down  Lake  George,  July  17, 
arriving  at  Ticonderoga  the  next  morning,  when  he 
formally  superseded  Colonel  Hinman,  who  had  pre- 
viously displaced  Benedict  Arnold  from  the  command. 
We  may  judge  of  the  degree  of  discipline  which  was. 
maintained  at  this  time  by  the  following  extract  from 
his  letter  to  "Washington.  He  writes : 

"About  ten,  last  night,  I  arrived  at  the  landing- 
place,  at  the  north  end  of  Lake  George,  a  post  occu- 
pied by  a  captain  and  one  hundred  men.  A  sentinel 
on  being  informed  I  was  in  the  boat,  quitted  his  post 
to  go  and  awaken  the  guard,  consisting  of  three  men, 
in  which  he  had  no  success.  I  walked  up  and  came 
to  another,  a  sergeant's  guard.  Here  the  sentinel 
challenged,  but  suffered  me  to  come  up  to  him,  the 
whole  guard,  like  the  first,  in  the  soundest  sleep."1 

July  24,  there  were  two  hundred  and  thirty-three 
men  of  Colonel  Goose  Van  Schaick's  regiment,  at  or 
near  Fort  George.  About  this  time  the  soldiers  at 
Fort  George  were  in  a  mutinous  condition,  and 
suffered  greatly  for  the  want  of  blankets,  so  that 

(1;  —  Letters  to  Washington,  Vol.  i.  p.  6. 


REVOLUTIONARY       SCENES.  127 

several  of  their  officers,  when  visiting  at  Albany, 
professed  that  they  did  not  dare  to  return  without 
them. 

The  operations  of  the  Americans  this  year  were 
conducted  by  Schuyler  and  Montgomery.  The  army 
was  supplied  with  food  and  war  material  by  the  trans- 
ports on  Lake  George.  Early  in  the  campaign 
Schuyler  was  forced  by  sickness  to  leave  the  field, 
and  Montgomery  captured  Fort  St.  John  and  Mon- 
treal. In  the  attack  upon  Quebec  he  failed,  after  a 
siege  of  three  weeks,  which  ended  in  an  assault  that 
cost  his  own  life,  and  the  surrender  of  a  portion  of 
the  troops  who  penetrated  into  the  lower  town.  The 
remaining  portion  of  the  invading  army  wintered  at 
Sillery.  On  the  first  of  April,  1776,  "Wooster,  who 
had  succeeded  to  the  command,  made  another  attempt 
upon  Quebec,  but  failed.  Soon  after  the  English  re- 
ceived reinforcements,  and  the  Americans  were  obliged 
to  retire. 

A  more  efficient  commander  being  needed  in  Can- 
ada, General  Thomas  was  appointed,  and  his  army 
was  made  independent  of  the  department  under  Schuy- 
ler. He  at  once  moved  toward  the  scene  of  action, 
hoping  to  stay  the  tide  of  defeat.  April  1 7,  he  passed 
down  the  lake,  and  the  next  day  forty  batteaux  started, 
carrying  five  hundred  troops.  On  the  19th,  a  person 
at  the  lake,  writing,  says  :  "  The  whole  of  the  troops 
that  are  now  on  the  lake  and  here,  will  amount  to 
upwards  of  fifteen  hundred  men  ;  so  that  I  think  we 


128  R  E  V  O  L  TJT  I  O  N  AK  Y      SCENES. 

shall  make  a  very  respectable  figure  before  Quebec 
when  we  all  arrive."  They  never  arrived ;  and  Gen- 
eral Thomas  died  of  the  small-pox. 

At  this  time  Benjamin  Franklin,  Samuel  Chase, 
and  Charles  Carroll  reached  the  lake.  They  had  been 
appointed  by  Congress,  as  Commissioners,  to  proceed 
to  Canada  and  negotiate  with  the  authorities  there. 
They  were  accompanied  in  this  mission  by  the  Rev. 
John  Carroll,  afterwards  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop 
of  Baltimore.  The  account  of  this  trip  across  Lake 
George  is  given  by  Charles  Carroll  in  his  journal.1 
Portions  of  the  journal  are  of  sufficient  interest  to  be 
reproduced  here : 

"April  19,  1776.  We  embarked  about  one  o'clock, 
in  company  with  General  Schuyler,  and  landed  in 
Montcalm's  Bay,  about  four  miles  from  Lake  George. 
After  drinking  tea  we  again  embarked,  and  went 
about  three  or  four  miles  further;  then  landed  (the 
sun  being  set)  and  kindled  fires.  The  longest  of  the 
boats,  made  for  transportation  of  troops  over  Lakes 
George  and  Champlain,  are  thirty-six  feet  in  length 
and  eight  feet  wide  ;  they  draw  about  a  foot  of  water 
when  loaded,  and  carry  between  thirty  and  forty  men, 
and  are  rowed  by  the  soldiers.  They  have  a  mast 
fixed  in  them,  to  which  a  square  sail  or  blanket  is 
fastened,  but  these  sails  are  of  no  use,  unless  with  the 
wind  abaft,  or  nearly  so.  After  we  left  Montcalm's 
Bay,  we  were  delayed  considerably  in  getting  through 

(1)  —  Baltimore,  1860.    Published  by  the  Maryland  Hist.  Society. 


REVOLUTIONARY      SCENES.  I2Q 

the  ice  ;  but,  with  the  help  of  tent-poles,  we  opened 
ourselves  a  passage  through  it  into  free  water.  The 
boats  fitted  up  to  carry  us  across,  had  awnings  over 
them,  under  which  we  made  up  our  beds,  and  my  fel- 
low-travellers slept  very  comfortably.  We  left  the 
place,  where  we  passed  the  night,  very  early  on  the 
20th. 

"  20th.  We  had  gone  some  miles  before  I  arose  ; 
soon  after  I  got  out  of  bed,  we  found  ourselves  entan- 
gled in  the  ice.  We  attempted,  but  in  vain,  to  break 
through  it  in  one  place,  but  were  obliged  to  desist  and 
force  our  passage  through  another,  which  we  effected 
"with  much  difficulty.  At  eight  o'clock  we  landed  to 
breakfast.  After  breakfast,  the  general  looked  to 
his  small  boat ;  being  desirous  to  reach  the  landing  at 
the  north  end  of  Lake  George,  we  set  off  together ; 
but  the  general's  boat,  and  the  other  boat  with  part  of 
the  luggage,  soon  got  before  us  a  considerable  way. 
After  separating,  we  fell  luckily  in  with  the  boat 
bringing  the  Montreal  and  Canada  mail.  Dr.  Frank- 
lin found  in  the  mail  a  letter  for  General  Schuyler. 
When  we  had  weathered  Sabaty  point,  we  stood  over 
for  the  western  shore  of  the  lake,  and  a  mile  or  two 
below  the  point  we  were  overtaken  by  the  general, 
from  whom  we  learned  the  cause  of  his  delay.  Mr. 
Chase  and  myself  went  on  board  the  general's  boat, 
and  reached  the  landing-place  at  the  south  [north] 
end  of  Lake  George,  nearly  two  hours  before  the 
other  boats.  Lake  George  lies  nearly  north  and 


130  REVOLUTIONARY      SO  EKES. 

south.  ...  Its  shores  are  remarkably  steep,  high,  and 
rocky,  (particularly  the  east  shore),  and  are  covered 
with  pine  and  cedar,  or  what  is  here  termed  hemlock ; 
the  country  is  wild  and  appears  utterly  incapable  of 
cultivation ;  it  is  a  fine  deer  country,  and  likely  to 
remain  so,  for  I  think  it  never  will  be  inhabited.  I 
speak  of  the  shores,  and  am  told  that  the  country 
inland  resembles  these. 

"  The  season  was  not  sufficiently  advanced  to  admit 
of  catching  fish,  a  circumstance  that  we  had  reason  to 
regret,  as  they  are  so  highly  prized  by  connoisseurs 
in  good  eating,  and  as  one  of  our  company  is  so 
excellent  a  judge  of  this  science."1 

The  Commissioners  accomplished  no  good  by  their 
visit  to  Montreal,  and  the  party  returned  by  South 
Bay  and  Fort  Edward. 

May  31,  General  Schuyler  was  now  at  the  lake, 
having  his  headquarters  at  Fort  George.  About 
this  time  he  was  visited  by  Mr.  Graydon,  who  came 
to  the  lake  to  bring  money  for  the  troops.  Speaking 
of  the  journey  between  Fort  Edward  and  the  lake, 
ne  says :  "  It  was  almost  an  entire  wood,  acquiring  a 
deeper  gloom,  as  well  from  the  general  prevalence  of 
pines,  as  from  its  dark,  extended  covert,  being  pre-- 


(1)  —  Mr.  Carroll  writes  under  date  of  April  5,  when  the  Commis- 
missioners  were  ascending  the  Hudson :  "  Just  before  we  doubled 
Cape  Anthony's  Nose,  Mr.  Chase  and  I  landed  to  examine  a  beautiful 
fall  of  water.  Mr.  Chase,  apprehensive  of  the  leg  of  mutton  being 
boiled  too  much,  was  impatient  to  get  on  board." 


KEVOLUTIONAUY      SCENES.  13! 

sented  to  the  imagination  as  an  appropriate  scene  for 
the  '  treasons,  stratagems  and  spoils '  of  savage  hos- 
tility."1 

He  was  received  at  the  lake  by  Schuyler  with  great 
cordiality  and  respect,  and  appears  to  have  heartily 
approved  his  tactics  in  dealing  with  the  New-England 
troops  under  his  command.  Graydon  bears  testimony 
to  his  irritability,  but  thinks  that  the  New -En  gland 
men  deserved  the  contemptuous  treatment  which  they 
received  at  his  hands,  a  very  striking  instance  of  which 
is  recorded.  Eventually,  however,  his  policy  failed. 
As  Greene  observes  :  "  New-England  men  could  not 
persuade  themselves  that  the  man  who,  in  his  official 
intercourse  with  them,  could  not  command  his  '  peev- 
ishness '  was  qualified  to  command  them."2  This 
remark  is  conceived  in  the  spirit  of  that  ancient  decla- 
ration, which  teaches  that  the  ability  to  rule  one's 
spirit  is  a  truer  -mark  of  greatness  than  the  capacity 
to  take  a  city ;  yet,  if  mutual  forbearance  had  been 
exercised,  Schuyler  might,  perhaps,  have  continued  in 
command  of  this  department  to  the  end,  and  finally 
achieved  the  victory  that  afterwards  crowned  the 
efforts  of  Gates. 

A  polished  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  General 
Philip  Schuyler  carried  all  his  high-bred  courtliness 
into  the  camp,  where  he  found  it  difficult  to  recognize 
the  worth  of  those  New-England  men,  who,  at  times, 

(1)  — Memoirs,  p.  142. 

(2;  —  Life  of  General  Greene,  Vol.  i.  p.  436.    Graydon.  p.  143. 


132  REVOLUTIONARY       SCENES. 

like  many  of  their  fellow  patriots  of  New  York,  pos- 
sessed noble  and  disinterested  natures,  veiled  under  a 
rude  garb  and  ordinary  mien.  Hence,  the  mutual 
dislike  and  open  hostility  which  afterwards  had  so 
much  to  do  in  removing  this  able  soldier  and  wise 
statesman  from  the  command  of  the  Department  of  the 
North. 

But  let  us  not  anticipate  events.  July  17,  General 
Gates,  who,  a  month  previous,  had  succeeded  Thomas 
in  command  of  the  army,  which  had  now  been  driven 
far  out  of  Canada,  issued  an  order  from  his  head-quar- 
ters at  Ticonderoga,  forbidding  "  the  wanton  waste  of 
powder "  at  Fort  George.  Powder  was  at  this  time 
scarce,  and  a  rebuke  was  perhaps  needed,  yet  Gates, 
having  entered  the  department  of  his  superior,  had  no 
authority  to  administer  it.  Nine  days  before,  the  ques- 
tion of  jurisdiction  had  come  up  hi  Congress,  and  the 
decision  was  against  Gates,  who  was  ordered  to  act  in 
harmony  with  Schuyler,  and  restrict  the  use  of  his 
authority  to  his  own  immediate  command. 

October  1,  Schuyler  wrote  to  General  Gates,  saying 
that  a  blow  at  Fort  George  was  probably  meditated 
by  the  English,  to  destroy  the  communications  of  the 
American  forces,  and  recommended  a  reinforcement. 
No  harm  came,  however;  yet  in  the  following  No- 
vember the  New- York  Committee  of  Safety  wrote 
that  the  Tories  had  a  plan  to  seize  and  hold  Fort 
George,  in  connection  with  the  Indians  and  Cana- 
dians. This,  likewise,  was  simply  an  ungrounded 


REVOLUTIONARY      SCENES.  133 

fear,  as  on  the  ninth  of  the  same  month  General 
Gates  writes  somewhat  tartly  to  Colonel  Gansevort, 
because  he  kept  the  boats  and  provisions  at  Fort 
George,  and  sent  forward  no  flour,  telling  him  that 
"  there  is  not  an  enemy  within  a  hundred  miles  of  the 
post." 

Several  writers  have  stated  that  about  this  time 
a  severe  battle  was  fought  by  a  party  of  Amer- 
ican militia  of  Saratoga  county,1  who  met  a  band  of 
Tories  and  Indians  near  Sabbath  Day  Point,  when 
the  former  achieved  a  victory.  Yet  this  story  does 
not  appear  in  print  until  a  very  recent  date.  The 
following  paragraph  from  Mr.  Neilson's  little  book 
on  Burgoyne's  campaign,  contains  the  only  authority 
found  thus  far.  He  says,  speaking  of  events  at  this 
tune,  "  My  [step]  grandfather,  at  the  head  of  fifty 
men,  had  a  desperate  encounter  with  about  eighty 
Indians  and  Tories  at  Sabbath  Day  Point,  in  which 
the  enemy  were  defeated,  with  a  loss  of  forty  killed 
and  wounded."2 

Unfortunately,  however,  the  chronicles  of  the  day, 
which  gave  minute  accounts  of  every  skirmish,  say 
nothing  whatever  either  about  such  an  engagement  or 
victory.  The  only  traces  found  by  the  author,  of  a 
conflict  at  this  place  appear  in  a  fragment  of  a  manu- 
script letter  now  in  the  State  archives  at  Albany.  It 
was  written  by  "J.  Deane,  Indian  Interpreter"  to 

(1)  —  Lossing's  Field  Book,  Vol.  i.  p.  116. 
(2)— Burgoyne's  Campaign,  p.  85. 


134  R  E  V  O  L  U  TI  O  N  A  II  Y      SCENES. 

General  Schuyler,  and  bears  date  of  June  25,  1777. 
In  the  course  of  his  remarks  he  speaks  of  "  the  war- 
riors of  Aghmejasne,  who  took  a  party  of  our  people 
at  Sabbath  Day  Point."1  In  the  absence  of  reliable 
testimony,  we  shall  therefore  feel  obliged  to  receive 
with  extreme  caution  Nelson's  account  of  a  victory 
at  the  above  place.  Lossing  repeats  Nelson's  story, 
but  gives  no  authority.  So  important  an  engagement 
would  certainly  have  been  mentioned  in  some  docu- 
ment or  newspaper  of  the  day.2 

It  would  be  improper  to  pass  over  this  year  with- 
out speaking  of  the  severe  sickness  which  prevailed. 
When  the  army  under  Gates  was  obliged  to  retreat 
up  Champlain  to  Ticonderoga,  the  sick  were  trans- 
ported over  Lake  George  to  the  hospitals  established 
around  the  fort  at  its  head.  This  site  was  selected  on 
account  of  its  genial  atmosphere  and  general  advan- 
tages. On  the  14th  of  July  there  were  no  less  than 
three  thousand  sick  men  lying  at  this  place,3  many 
of  whom  were  suffering  from  small-pox  and  typhus 
fever.  Between  the  12th  and  26th  of  July,  fifty-one 
men  were  here  consigned  to  the  grave.  What  is  now 
the  village  of  Caldwell  was  one  great  charnel  house. 
The  circumstances  were  rendered  worse  by  the  fact, 
that  the  hospitals  were  extremely  destitute  of  all  tho?>e 
means  and  appliances  which  hi  our  own  day  go  so  far 

(1)  —  Miss.  Papers,  1777,  Vol.  xxxviii.  p.  20. 

(2)  — The  author  has  not  been  able  to  learn  even  the  name  of  tho 
jerson  who  commanded  in  this  alleged  fight. 

(3)  — American  Archives,  Vol.  i.,  Series  v.  pp.  232-237-661. 


REVOLUTIONARY      SCENES.  135 

to  alleviate  human  misery.  The  sufferings  of  the 
troops  at  Valley  Forge  could  not  be  compared  with 
the  misery  of  our  patriotic  troops  on  the  shore  of  this 
beautiful  lake. 

Among  those  prostrated  by  disease  and  borne  to 
this  place,  was  General  James  Wilkinson,  afterwards 
the  co-laborer  of  Aaron  Burr,  and  Baron  de  Woedtke.1 
Wilkinson  says  :  "  There  at  Fort  George,  in  spite  of 
medical  aid,  I  was  reduced  to  the  last  extremity ;  every 
hope  of  my  recovery  had  expired  ;  I  was  consigned  to 
the  grave,  and  a  coffin  was  prepared  for  my  accommo- 
dation."2 Yet  he  recovered  from  this  sickness,  and  in 
course  of  time  the  diseases  abated,  and  the  hospitals 
were  cleared,  though  too  many  of  them  had  been 
rendered  tenaniless  by  Death." 

Towards  the  close  of  the  season,  Trumbull  passed 
up  the  lake  from  Ticonderoga,  in  a  boat  with  General 
Gates,  under  whom  he  was  serving  as  adjutant-gen- 
eral. He  gives  in  his  journal  a  beautiful  picture  of  a 
mountain  on  fire,  a  scene  well  adapted  to  impress  the 
mind  of  the  embryo  artist,  who  was  about  to  lay  aside 
the  sword  for  the  mahl  stick.  He  writes  :  "  My  taste 
for  the  picturesque  here  received  a  splendid  gratifica- 
tion. Some  of  the  troops  who  had  passed  before  us 

(1) — Baron  do  Woedtke  was  many  years  an  officer  in  the  Prussian 
army.  Ho  came  to  America,  and  March  16,  1776,  was  appointed 
brigadier-general,  and  ordered  to  Canada.  He  died  at  Lake  George, 
at  about  the  close  of  July,  and  was  buried  with  the  honors  duo  to  his 
rank.  Washington's  Writings,  Vol.  iv.  p.  6. 

(2)  — Memoirs,  Vol.  i.  p.  86. 


136  REVOLUTIONARY      SCENES. 

had  landed  on  the  west  shore  of  the  lake  and  lighted 
fires  for  cooking.  The  season  was  cold  and  dry  — 
the  leaves  had  fallen  in  masses — the  fire  had  extended 
to  them,  and  spread  from  ledge  to  ledge,  from  rock  to 
rock  to  the  very  summit,  where  it  was  from  seven 
hundred  to  a  thousand  feet  high.  In  parts  the  fire 
crept  along  the  crevices  of  the  rock;  at  times  an 
ancient  pine  tree  rose  up  a  majestic  pyramid  of  flame ; 
and  all  this  was  reflected  in  the  pellucid  surface  of  the 
lake,  which  lay  like  a  beautiful  mirror  hi  the  stillness 
of  the  dark  night,  unruffled  by  the  oars  of  our  solitary 
boat,  and  these  were  frequently  suspended  that  we 
might  enjoy  the  magnificent  scene."1 

Winter  closed  in  gloomily  upon  the  country,  as  well 
as  upon  the  lake.  About  New- Year's,  day,  the  lake 
was  frozen  over,  and  navigation  ceased.  The  cold 
season  passed  away  without  any  event  of  importance 
occurring  in  the  various  garrisons.  But  when  the 
of  1777  opened,  the  whole  aspect  of  affairs  underwent 
a  change. 

In  order  to  render  the  operations  of  the  army 
more  effective,  Congress,  May  22,  confirmed  General 
Schuyler  in  his  command,  and  added  to  his  former 
jurisdiction,  including  Ticonderoga,  Fort  Stanwix, 
Albany,  and  their  dependencies.2  Thus  Gates  was 
put  out  of  the  field.  General  St.  Clair  was  then 
placed  in  command  at  Ticonderoga.  Eventually,  that 

{!)  — Trumbull's  Reminisc€nces,  p.  37. 
(2)—  Journal  Congress,  Vol.  iii.  p.  183. 


R  E  V  O  L  Vy  I  O  N  AR  T      SCENES.  137 

officer,  acting  on  his  own  responsibility,  decided,  in 
view  of  the  impending  peril,  to  evacuate  the  post. 
For  this  act  Schuyler  was  severely  blamed,  yet  he 
was  in  no  wise  responsible  ;  while  St.  Clair  himself 
was  afterwards  fully  acquitted  by  a  military  court. 
The  day  after  the  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga,  Schuyler, 
writing  to  Washington  from  Fort  Edward,  says,  "  I 
have  not  been  able  to  learn  what  is  become  of  Gen- 
eral St.  Clair  and  the  army."1 

St.  Clair  executed  this  movement  on  the  night  of 
July  6,  sending  one  regiment  and  the  sick  to  White- 
hall, while  the  rest  of  the  troops  marched  by  the  new 
road  through  the  woods  to  Hubbardstown.  The  Brit- 
ish, under  General  Frazer,  took  possession,  and  thus 
the  evacuation  of  all  points  on  Lake  George  became 
necessary.  St.  Glair's  retreat  having  become  known, 
preparations  were  made  in  season  to  leave  Fort 
George ;  and  when  the  Americans  deserted  that  work 
they  took  all  their  baggage  and  stores,  and  set  the 
fort  on  fire.  The  match  was  applied  July  16,  and 
Major  Yates  marched  away  to  Fort  Edward,  with 
seven  hundred  men.  Burgoyne,  who  was  then  mov- 
ing victoriously  southward,  thus  writes  of  the  affair  : 

"The  garrison  of  Fort  George  in  manifest  danger 
of  being  cut  off  by  the  direct  movement  from  Skenes- 
borough  to  Hudson's  River,  took  the  measure  I  ex- 
pected of  abandoning  the  Fort,  and  burning  the  vessels, 
thereby  leaving  the  lake  entirely  free.  A  detachment 

(1) —  Washington's  Writings,  Vol.  iv.  p.  491. 


138  RE  VO  L  UTI  O  N  AB  Y    »S  C  E  NE  S. 

of  the  King's  Troops  from  Ticonderoga,  which  I  had 
ordered  to  be  ready  for  that  event,  with  a  great  embark- 
ation of  provisions,  passed  the  lake  on  the  same  day 
that  I  took  possession  of  this  communication  by  land.'* 
Schuyler,  in  his  letter  to  Washington,  before  referred 
to,  says  that  there  were  "  no  carriages  to  remove  the 
stores  from  Fort  George,"  which  he  expected  would 
be  immediately  attacked.  Yet  it  appears  that  Major 
Yates  found  means  seven  days  after  to  bring  away 
every  thing  in  safety.  Schuyler  also  justified  the 
giving  up  of  Fort  George,  on  which  point  Wash- 
ington suspended  his  opinion,  merely  remarking  that 
others  had  informed  him  "  that  a  spirited,  brave, 
judicious  officer,  with  two  or  three  hundred  good 
men,  together  with  the  armed  vessels  you  have  built, 
would  retard  Burgoyne's  passage  across  the  Lake  for  a 
considerable  time,  if  not  render  it  impracticable,  and 
oblige  him  to  take,  a  more  difficult  and  circuitous 
route."  To  this  Schuyler  replies  :  "  The  fort  was  part 
of  an  unfinished  bastion  of  an  intended  fortification. 
The  bastion  was  closed  at  the  gorge.  In  it  was  a 
barrack  capable  of  containing  between  thirty  and  fifty 
men ;  without  ditch,  without  wall,  without  cistern ; 
without  any  picket  to  prevent  an  enemy  from  running 
over  the  wall.  So  small,  as  not  to  contain  above  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  commanded  by  ground  greatly 
overlooking  it,  and  within  point  blank  shot ;  and  so 
situated  that  five  hundred  men  may  lie  between  the 
bastion  and  the  Lake,  without  being  seen  from  this 


REVOLUTIONARY      SCENES.  139 

extremely  defensible  fortress.  Of  vessels  built  there, 
one  was  afloat  and  tolerably  fitted ;  the  others  still 
upon  the  stocks  ;  but,  if  the  two  had  been  upon  the 
water,  they  would  have  been  of  but  little  use,  without 
rigging  and  guns."1 

The  same  poor  condition  prevailed  at  Fort  Edward, 
where  Schuyler  had  only  fifteen  hundred  men,  with 
only  two  pieces  of  small  iron  cannon,  all  the  artillery 
having  been  sent  to  the  southern  department  by  order 
of  Washington.  We  may  easily  imagine  what  must 
have  been  the  real  state  of  affairs.  An  extract  from 
a  letter  written  by  Governeur  Morris  to  John  Jay, 
when  at  Valley  Forge,  January,  1780,  says:  "Our 
troops, — lieu  miserors  [sic].  The  skeleton  of  an  army 
presents  itself  to  -our  eyes  in  a  naked,  starving  con- 
dition, out  of  healthj  out  of  spirits.  But  I  have  seen 
Fort  George"  he  adds,  "  in  the  summer  of  1777 ,"2 

Lake  George  being  wholly  given  up  by  the  Amer- 
icans, it  now  became  a  part  of  the  British  line  of 
communication  with  Canada.  Colonel  Anstruther  was 
the  commandant. 

It  is  almost  universally  conceded,  however,  that  he 
erred  greatly  in  failing  to  bring  his  army  by  this 
route  after  the  surrender  of  Ticonderoga.  If  he  had 
done  this,  instead  of  moving  by  the  way  of  South 
Bay,  the  result  would  doubtless  have  been  far  differ- 
ent. The  general  plan  of  the  campaign  was  esteemed 

(1)  —  Washington's  Writings,  Vol.  iv.  p.  494. 

(2)  —  Life  of  Governeur  Morris,  Vol.  i.  p.  154. 


140  REVOLUTIONARY       SCENES. 

judicious,  and  it' gained  the  approval  of  King  George 
himself.  But  that  monarch  saw  the  dangers  of  South 
Bay,  and  earnestly  recommended  the  route  by  Lake 
George.  In  revising  the  plan  he  says  :  "  If  possible, 
possession  must  be  taken  of  Lake  George,  and  nothing 
but  an  absolute  impossibility  of  succeeding  in  this, 
can  be  an  excuse  for  proceeding  by  South  Bay  and 
Skenesborough."1  Still,  Burgoyne  afterwards  made 
as  good  a  use  of  the  lake  as  he  was  able  to,  and  by 
this  route  he  brought  reinforcements  and  supplies. 
Depots  were  formed  at  both  Fort  George  and  Dia- 
mond Island,  though  eventually  all  of  the  stores  were 
accumulated  at  the  latter  place. 

But  the  British  were  not  allowed  to  hold  the  lake 
unmolested.  While  Burgoyne  was  busy  prosecuting 
his  campaign  in  the  direction  of  Saratoga,  an  expe- 
dition was  sent  by  General  Lincoln  to  his  rear.  This 
expedition  was  placed  under  the  command  of  the  ever- 
active  Colonel  John  Brown,  who  surprised  the  out- 
works of  Ticonderoga,  and  met  with  considerable 
success.2  He  then  embarked  with  his  forces  in  some 
captured  vessels,  and  sailed  to  attack  Diamond  Island, 
situated  within  four  miles  of  Fort  George.  In  this 
expedition  he  failed.  The  artillery  of  the  garrison 

(1)  —  Quoted  in  Albermarle's  Memories  of  the  Marquis  of  Rocbing- 
har.i,  (Vol.  ii.  p.  331)  from  the  original  manuscript  in  the  handwriting 
of  King  George,  now  in  the  British  Museum.    This  testimony  seems 
to  have  escaped  all  of  our  American  writers.    The  author's  attcntiou 
was  directed  to  it  by  Major-General  de  Peyster. 

(2)  —  See  Chapter  ix.  on  Ticonderoga. 


K  EVOLUTIONARY      SCENES.  14! 

was  so  well  served  that  he  was  unable  to  come  to 
quarters.  The  result  we  may  give  in  Burgoyne's  own 
words.  He*  reports : 

"  On  the  24th  instant,  the  enemy  upon  Lake  George 
attacked  Diamond  Island  in  two  divisions.  Captain 
Aubrey1  and  two  companies  of  the  47th  regiment 
had  been  posted  at  that  island  from  the  time  the  army 
passed  the  Hudson  River,  as  a  better  security  for  the 
stores  at  the  south  end  of  Lake  George  than  Fort 
George,  which  is  on  the  continent,  and  not  tenable 
against  artillery  and  numbers.  The  enemy  were 
repulsed  by  Captain  Aubrey  with  great  loss,  and  pur- 
sued by  the  gunboats  under  his  command,  to  the  east 
shore,  where  two  of  their  principal  vessels  were  re- 
taken, together  with  all  the  cannon.  They  had  just 
time  to  set  fire  to  the  other  batteaux,  and  retreated 
over  the  mountain." 

Colonel  Brown  regained  Lincoln's  camp  in  safety. 
He  afterwards  fell  a  martyr  to  liberty.  He  was  a 
man  of  much  character  and  ability,  but  he  was  kept 
from  advancement  by  Arnold,  who  then  had  the  ear 
of  General  Gates. 

When  Burgoyne  was  defeated  and  undertook  to 
retreat,  he  started  for  Lake  George,  hoping  to  escape 
by  this  route  to  Canada.  But  the  skill  of  Gates 


(1)  —  Thomas  Aubrey,  second  son  of  Sir  Thomas  Aubrey,  of  Clan- 
borganshir,  entered  the  army  as  ensign  in  1762,  and  served  in  Florida. 
He  was  at  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  was  made  major  in  1782,  and 
afterwards  arose  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  He  died  January  15, 1814. 


142  K  E  V  O  L»U  TIONARY       SCKNES. 

finally  caused  him  to  capitulate  ;  and  thus  Lake 
George  once  more  became  absolved  from  British 
rule.  *  - 

Nothing  of  importance  occurred  in  this  vicinity 
until  1780,  when  Sir  John  Johnson  invaded  the  north- 
ern part  of  New  York,  and  marked  his  track  in  ashes 
and  flames.  His  object  was  to  recover  three  barrels 
of  silver  plate  buried  in  the  cellar  of  his  former  man- 
sion at  Johnstown.  He  succeeded  in  finding  the 
treasure,  which  was  borne  away  by  forty  soldiers,  each 
of  whom  carried  a  portion  in  his  haversack.  Sir  John 
was  pursued  on  his  return  by  a  force  under  Governor 
Clinton,  who  went  down  Lake  George  to  Ticon- 
deroga,  where  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  pur- 
suit. 

4  Major  Carlton  improved  the  occasion  of  this  raid  to 
strike  a  blow  at  Forts  Ann  and  George.  Fort  Ann 
was  taken  October  10.  The  next  day,  Carlton,  while 
marching  against  Fort  George,  was  met  by  a  party  of 
twenty-five  men  sent  from  that  place  by  the  com- 
mander, Capt.  Chipman,  to  obtain  provisions  at  Fort 
Edward.  They  were  immediately  fired  upon  by 
Carlton,  but  managed  to  escape  and  return  to  Fort 
George.  Chipman,  supposing  that  it  was  an  enemy's 
scout,  sent  out  all  but  fourteen  of  his  men,  who  met 
and  engaged  the  enemy  near  Bloody  Pond.  The 
Americans  were  signally  defeated,  the  whole  force 
being  either  killed,  wounded,  or  taken  prisoners. 
Carlton  then  hurried  10  the  fort,  which  was  obliged  to 


REVOLUTIONARY       SCENES.  143 

capitulate.  The  Americans  lost  twenty-eight  men, 
eight  vessels,  and  twenty-eight  flat-boats,  which  were 
in  the  lake.1 

With  this  event  military  operations  on  Lake  George 
ended.  During  the  war  of  1812  "they  were  not 
renewed,  as  at  that  time  the  lake  had  lost  its  import- 
ance as  part  of  a  great  military  route. 

For  the  last  eighty-five  years  Lake  George  has 
enjoyed  all  the  advantages  that  flow  from  peace  ;  and 
yet  it  still  retains  its  native  wildness.  The  lack  of 
water-power  and  the  lightness  of  the  soil,  retard  the 
progress  of  mechanic  and  agricultural  arts ;  and  the 
shriek  of  the  locomotive  may  never  be  heard,  except 
at  the  head  of  the  lake  and  around  Caldwell,  where 
the  great  body  of  summej:  visitors  have  ever  inclined 
to  remain  when  visiting  the  lake,  and  where  Fashion 
holds  her  court.  On  the  whole,  Nature  seems  to 
have  declared  this  favored  spot  her  own,  and  pro- 
vided for  its  preservation  by  metes  and  bounds  that 
men  find  it  difficult  to  overpass. 

Lake  George  may  therefore  be  considered  beyond 
the  reach  of  those  invasions  which  have  destroyed  the 
value  of  so  many  American  retreats.  Elegant  villas 
will  multiply  along  its  borders,  and  its  romantic  isles 
will,  in  course  of  time,  be  crowned  with  cottages  ;  yet 
the  visitor  at  the  lake  will  never  miss  its  old  and 
exquisite  charm,  or  fail  to  find  retirement  and  peace. 

(1)  — Hough's  Northern  Invasion  — Washington's  Works,    Vol.  vil. 
p.  269. 


TICONDERO  G  A. 


CHAPTER     IX. 
lluins!   Ruins!    Let  us  roam. 

HOWE'S  LANDING  —  THE  FALLS  —  SITUATION  OF  THE  FORT 
—  NAME  —  ABERCROSIBIE  —  AMHERST  —  ETHAN  ALLEN  — 
BEAMAN— ARNOLD  — LOCALITIES—  A  TRADITION. 

.VERYONE  who  visits  Lake  George 
will,  of  course,  desire  to  see  Ticon- 
deroga.  Landing  at  the  north  end 
of  the  lalse  where  Abercrombie 
disembarked,  a  ride  of  four  miles  takes 
the  visitor  to  the  ruins  of  this  celebrated  fort? 
the  examination  of  which,  together  with  neigh- 
boring localities  of  interest,  will  consume  a 
whole  day.  The  Falls  are  well  worth  atten- 
tion. The  upper  Fall  is  one  mile,  and  the  lower 
Fall  two  miles,  from  Lake  George.  About  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile  from  the  fort  the  visitor  comes  upon 
the  grass-grown  outworks,  which  are  numerous  and 
complicated. 

Ticonderoga  was  called  Carillon,  a  French  word, 
meaning  a  chime,  the  name  being  given  with  reference 
to  the  perpetual  music  of  the  Falls.  The  idea  was 
suggested  by  the  Indian  name  Cheonderogo,  which 


TICONDEROGA.  145 

in  the  Iroquois  tongue  signifies  Sounding  Water.  The 
remains  of  the  fort  are  situated  on  a  beautiful  penin- 
sula, elevated  a  hundred  feet  above  Lake  Champlain. 
It  is  a  position  of  considerable  strength,  being  pro- 
tected on  three  sides  by  water.  It  is  overlooked, 
however,  by  Mount  Defiance,  which  is  nearly  eight 
hundred  feet  above  the  lake. 

The  first  attempt  to  fortify  the  position  was  made 
by  Colonel  Philip  Schuyler,  who  arrived  July  17, 
1691,  when  on  his  way  to  attack  the  French  fort  at 
Laprarie.  The  weather  being  bad,  his  party  remained 
here  several  days ;  and,  being  apprehensive  of  an 
attack  from  the  enemy,  they  used  the  time  in  building 
a  "  stone  fort  breast  high."1 

Nothing  more,  however,  was  done  until  1755. 
Twenty-five  years  before,  the  French  had  commenced 
the  fort  at  Crown  (Scalp)  Point,  where  they  evidently 
intended  to  establish  the  nucleus  of  a  new  colony ; 
and  at  the  above  date  the  walls  were  in  so  weak  a 
condition  that  Montcalm  thought  it  advisable  to  ad- 
vance to  Carillon  and  commence  an  entirely  new 
structure,  instead  of  repairing  the  old  one  at  the 
former  place.  Accordingly,  he  gave  the  proper  orders, 
and  the  work  was  commenced,  and.  by  the  close  of  the 


(1)  — Col.  Doc.,  Vol.  Hi.  p.  902.  Palmer  suggests  that  a  fort  called 
by  Captain  John  Schuyler,  "The  Little  Stone  Fort,"  (Doc.  Hist., 
Vol.ii.  p.  62)  was  possibly  built  by  Captain  Sanders  Glen,  "while 
lie  was  waiting  there  for  the  advance  of  Winthrop's  army  "  in  1790. 
But  a  careful  estimate  of  the  distances  will  show  that  this  fort  could 
not  have  been  situated  nearer  Ticonderopra  than  Crown  Point. 


146      ,  TICONDEROGA. 

year  1756,  it  was  well  advanced.  They  had  also  con- 
structed three  earthworks  between  the  lakes.  The 
stone  fort  on  the  east  side  was  a  star-shaped  work, 
called  Vaudreuil,  in  honor  of  the  French  Governor. 
From  this  time  until  the  summer  of  1759,  the  French 
labored  continually  to  strengthen  their  works,  which 
were  spreading  over  a  large  part  of  the  peninsula. 

On  Christmas  Eve,  1758,  Rogers  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  of  his  Eangers  surprised  the  workmen,  took 
several  prisoners,  and  killed  fifteen  beeves.  He  wrote 
a  note  addressed  to  the  commander,  and  placed  it 
upon  the  horns  of  an  ox  for  delivery.  It  is  given  in 
the  Paris  documents  as  follows :  "  I  am  obliged  to 
you,  Sir,  for  the  repose  you  have  allowed  me  to  take ; 
I  thank  you  for  the  meat  you  have  sent  me ;  I  shall 
take  care  of  my  prisoners.  I  request  you  to  present 
my  compliments  to  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm."  Some 
time  after  Rogers  met  M.  Wolfe  at  Fort  Edward, 
whither  he  had  gone  to  carry  despatches  to  the  Eng- 
lish, and  the  subject  afforded  some  mutual  pleasantry. 

Baron  Dieskau's  troops  stopped  at  Ticonderoga  in 
1755,  when  they  were  marching  to  attack  the  English; 
and  also  when  they  returned,  broken  and  defeated. 
This  was  the  rallying-point  of  Montcalm  in  1757, 
before  he  moved  against  Fort  William  Henry.  In 
July,  1758,  it  was  attacked  by  Abercrombie,  who  was 
defeated  with  a  loss  of  two  thousand  killed  and 
wounded.  Among  the  killed  was  young  Lord  Howe, 
a  grandson  of  George  I.  When  about  to  advance, 


TICONDEROGA.  147 

Major  Putnam  tried  to  persuade  him  not  to  expose 
himself;  but  he  is  reported  as  saying,  "Your  life  is  as 
dear  to  you  as  mine  is  to  me  —  I  am  determined  to 
go."  He  went. 

Before  Amherst  advanced  the  following  year,  a 
party  of  Rangers  attacked  the  workmen  outside  of 
the  fort,  and  tried  to  burn  the  buildings,  but  failed.  In 
the  summer,  when  Amherst  appeared  with  an  army 
of  nearly  twelve  thousand  men,  Montcalm  evacuated 
the  place,  and  retreated  down  Lake  Champlain,  leaving 
the  English  in  possession. 

After  the  defeat  of  Abercrombie  in  1758,  and  while 
Lord  Amherst  was  preparing  to  advance  upon  Ticon- 
deroga,  the  French  had  a  deep  grave  dug  in  the  centre 
of  their  lines,  over  which  was  raised  a  lofty  cross,1 
bearing  a  brass  plate,  with  the  following  inscription  : 

"  Pone principes  eorum  sicut  et  Zebec  et  Zalmanna.v 

This  was  at  once  a  braggart  prophecy  and  a  prayer, 
for  which  some  over-zealous  priest  was  probably  re- 
sponsible. But  in  the  end  they  all  found  that  Am- 
herst was  not  exactly  Abercrombie,  and  that  he  had 
not  brought  his  army  down  Lake  George  to  have  it 
treated  like  Jabin  at  the  brook  of  Kison,  and  like 
those  who  perished  at  Endor  to  fertilize  the  earth. 
Therefore  when  Amherst  appeared,  the  soldier  strapped 


(1)  —  Warburton's  Conquest  of  Canada,  Vol.  ii.  p.  244. 

(2)  —  "Make  their  nobles  like  Oreb,  and  like  Zeeb:  jca,  all  their 
princes  as  Zcbah  and  Zalmunna."  —  Fs.  Ixxxiii. :  11. 


148  TICONDEBOGA. 

his  knapsack,  and  the  priest  packed  his  thurible,  cope, 
and  pyx,  the  latter  leaving  his  litany  to  take  care  of 
itself.  Indeed,  Montcalm  probably  never  intended 
to  make  a  stand  against  Amherst. 

Soon  after  the  capture,  Colonel  Eyre  planned 
another  new  fortification ;  but  Colonel  Haldeman, 
February  15,  1767,  reported  the  works  hi  a  bad  con- 
dition ;  and  September  1, 1773,  they  were  represented 
"  in  a  ruinous  state."  Still,  nothing  was  done,  and 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out,  finding  them  in 
the  same  dilapidated  condition.  For  some  time  past 
the  course  of  public  events  had  led  the  New-England 
patriots  to  view  Ticonderoga  and  its  stores  of  warlike 
material  with  a  covetous  eye ;  and  therefore  when  the 
time  came  for  action  they  were  ready. 

At  daybreak,  on  the  morning  of  May  10,  1775,  the 
fort  was  surprised  and  captured  by  eighty-five  men 
from  Vermont  and  Massachusetts,  under  the  joint 
command  of  Benedict  Arnold  and  Ethan  Allen. 
The  plan  of  this  surprise  was  laid  with  secrecy  and 
skill. 

The  person,  who  claimed  to  be  the  first  to  entertain 
the  plan  for  taking  Ticonderoga,  was  one  William  Gil- 
liland,  who  resided  at  Willsborough,  on  the  west  shore 
of  Lake  Champlain.  In  a  petition  to  the  Continental 
Congress,  he  says  :  "  Your  memorialist  has  reason  to 
think,  that  he  was  the  first  person  who  laid  a  plan 
for  and  determined  upon  seizing  Ticonderoga,  Crown 
Point,  and  the  King's  armed  vessel,  and  therewith  the 


TICONDEROGA.  149 

entire  command  of  Lakes  George  and  Champlaiu."1 
Yet  this  claim  is  put  forth  under  circumstances  that 
entitle  it  to  little  credit,  and  it  can  hardly  be  enter- 
tained. 

The  real  originator  of  the  plan  was  John  Brown, 
Esq.,2  a  lawyer  of  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts.  As  early 
as  February  21,  1775,  he  received  a  letter  from  the 
Boston  Committee  of  Correspondence,  of  which  com- 
mittee Joseph  Warren  and  Samuel  Adams  were  mem- 
bers, requesting  him  to  visit  Canada,  and  arrange 
for  securing  the  co-operation  of  the  people  in  the 
cause  of  Independence.  In  this  mission  Brown  was 
unsuccessful,  but  he  nevertheless  wrote  to  the  Com- 
mittee from  Montreal,  saying :  "  One  thing  I  must 
mention  to  be  kept  a  profound  secret  —  the  fort  of 
Tyconderoga  must  be  seized  as  soon  as  possible,  should 
hostilities  be  committed  by  the  King's  troops."  He 
adds,  moreover,  "The  people  on  New  Hampshire 
Grants  have  engaged  to  do  this  business,  and  in  my 
opinion  are  the  proper  persons  for  the  job.''3  Here, 


(1)  —  "Watson's  Champlain  Valley,  p.  175. 

(2)  —  American  Archives,  Series  iv.  Vol.  ii.  p.  243. 

(3)  —  ColonelJohn  Brown  was  born  in  Sandisfield,  Massachusetts, 
October  19, 1744.    lie  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1771,  and  after- 
v.  :u  ds  practiced  law  in  Pittsfield.    He  was  at  the  capture  of  Chambly 
i..  1775;  also  at  Quebec  when  Montgomery  fell.    He  was  at  the  Battle 
oi'  Bennington  iu  1777;  and  was  killed,  1780,  on  his  birthday,  at  the 
a^e  of  thirty-six,  in  Stone  Arabia,  New  York,  during  the  raid  of  Sir 
John  Johnson.    Forty-five  Massachusetts  men  fell  in  the  same  action. 
P,ut  for  the  baneful  influence  ot  Benedict  Arnold,  whom  Colonel 
Brown  openly  denounced,  he  would  Lave  been  promoted  at  an  early 
day. 


15°  TICONDEKOGA. 

unquestionably,  was  the  beginning  of  a  work  which 
was  positively  to  be  done,  in  case  of  hostilities  break- 
ing out.  And  Brown's  idea  did  not  die.  It  appears 
to  have  been  talked  of  by  members  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Provincial  Congress,  and  carried  thence  to  Con- 
necticut by  Messrs.  Danielson,  Foster  and  Bliss, 
where  it  was  evidently  suggested  to  various  persons, 
among  whom  was  Benedict  Arnold.  April  27th,  Ar- 
nold broached  the  idea  to  Samuel  H.  Parsons,  who 
proceeded  to  act,  in  connection  with  Samuel  Willis  and 
Silas  Deane,  aided,  among  others,  though  the  fact 
has  been  denied,  by  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Han- 
cock, who  about  this  time  passed  through  Hart- 
ford. Three  hundred  pounds  were  drawn  from  the 
public  treasury;  and  proper  persons  despatched  Capt. 
Noah  Phelps  and  Bernard  Romans  to  the  scene  of  the 
proposed  action,  having  provided  them  with  the  requi- 
site funds.  After  Phelps  and  Romans  started,  the 
Committee  also  engaged  Captain  Mott  to  go  as  one  of 
the  leaders.  He  left  the  next  afternoon,  taking  five 
other  volunteers  with  him.  At  Salisbury,  Mott  came 
up  with  Phelps  and  Romans,  when  eight  new  recruits 
were  added  to  the  company,  which  was  all  they  then 
desired.  Reaching  Pittsfield  the  next  Monday,  they 
made  known  their  business  to  Colonel  Easton,  and  Mr. 
John  Brown,  in  order  "  to  take  their  advice  on  the 
same."  It  was,  on  consultation,  thought  best  to  begin 
to  raise  more  men.  Easton  and  Mott,  therefore, 
started  for  Jericho,  while  Brown  and  the  rest  went  tc 


TICONDEROGA.  151 

Bennington.  "Wednesday,  May  3,  Mott  also  reached 
Bennington  with  twenty-four  men.  The  next  Sunday, 
May  7,  the  company  united  again  at  Castleton,  the 
intervening  time  having  been  consumed  in  perfecting 
the  arrangements. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Benedict  Arnold  had  marched  to 
Cambridge  with  a  company  from  Connecticut.  April 
30,  in  reply  to  a  letter  of  inquiry,  Arnold  wrote  to' 
General  Warren,  stating  what  he  knew  about  the 
cannon  and  stores  at  Ticonderoga.  The  same  day 
Warren  wrote  to  Alexander  McDougal,  of  the  New- 
York  Provincial  Congress,  saying  that  it  had  been 
"  proposed "  to  him  to  take  Ticonderoga.  Three 
days  later,  the  very  day  that  Brown,  Eomans,  and 
the  others  reached  Bennington  on  their  way  to  Ticon- 
deroga, Arnold  was  commissioned  by  the  Massachu- 
setts Committee  of  Safety  to  raise  men  and  proceed 
to  take  the  fort  hi  question.  But  without  waiting  to 
raise  a  man,  Arnold  started  for  the  scene  of  action, 
as  if  informed  by  Warren  of  the  action  of  Brown, 
and  hoping,  perhaps,  to  find  a  force  prepared  to  exe- 
cute his  orders.  He  reached  Castleton  the  day  after 
the  volunteers,  who  had  already  assembled,  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  strong,  and  recognized  Ethan  Allen 
as  their  commander.  Arnold  at  once  applied  for  the 
command,  by  virtue  of  his  commission,  but  his  propo- 
sition, however,  was  spurned.  He  then  started  to 
overtake  Allen,  who  had  gone  towards  the  lake.  Sub- 
sequently, it  appears,  an  arrangement  was  effected  by 


152  TICONDEKOGA. 

which  Arnold  and  Allen  were  to  hold  something  like 
a  joint  command.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  capture  of 
Skenesborough  was  arranged  for;  and  at  the  same 
time  Bernard  Romans,  not  being  able  to  agree  with 
the  other  members  of  the  Committee,  left  them  to  go 
quietly,  on  his  own  account,  and  take  possession  of 
Fort  George. 

By  the  judicious  course  of  Arnold,  harmony  was 
restored,  and  on  the  night  of  May  9,  the  whole  party 
assembled  on  the  lake  at  Shoreham,  two  miles  below 
the  fort,  ready  to  embark  and  cross.  But  this  proved 
a  difficult  movement,  as  the  boats  were  not  ready,  nncl 
the  wind  was  high.  Arnold  crossed  with  forty  men 
and  sent  back  the  boat,  which  did  not  return  until  near 
daylight,  being  delayed  by  the  storm.  At  this  time 
there  were  only  eighty-five  Vermont  and  Massachu- 
setts men  on  the  west  shore,  and  it  was  proposed  to 
wait  for  the  others.  This  was  strenuously  opposed 
by  Arnold,  who  declared  that  he  would  enter  the  fort 
alone,  if  no  one  had  the  courage  to  follow.  This  had 
the  desired  eifect ;  and  when  Arnold  and  Allen  put 
themselves  at  the  head  of  the  party  all  were  ready  to 
move.1  Ethan  Allen  claims  in  his  Narrative,  that  he 
improved  the  occasion  to  extemporize  a  speech ;  but, 
however  that  may  be,  they  soon  dashed  in  at  the 
entrance  of  the  fort,  where  they  found  the  sentry, 
who  snapped  his  musket,  and  then  attempted  to  escape. 
But  he  was  soon  made  a  prisoner,  and  obliged  to  lead 

(1)  — N.  Y.  Journal,  August  3, 1775. 


TICONDKROGA.  153 

the  party  to  the  quarters  of  the  commander,  Captain 
De  La  Place.  An  eye-witness  testifies  that  Arnold 
entered  the  fort  first,  though  Bancroft  simply  says 
he  entered  with  Allen,  keeping  emulously  at  his  side. 
Allen  beyond  question  demanded  the  surrender, 
though  we  may  reasonably  doubt  his  having  used  the 
language  attributed  to  him.  The  astonished  com- 
mander did  not  have  time  to  dress  himself,  says  the 
account,  before  he  was  summoned  to  surrender,  "  In 
the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the  Continental 
Congress."  Allen1  professed  little  respect  for  the 
one,  while  the  other  did  not  then  exist,  the  second 

(1)  —  Ethan  Allen  was  born  in  the  town  of  Woodbury,  Connecticut, 
i  n  1738.  At  an  early  age  he  settled  on  the  New-Hampshire  grants,  now 
n  part  of  the  State  of  Vermont.  When  the  troubles  arose  in  regard 
to  the  jurisdiction  of  New  York,  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  resisting 
the  law.  He  eventually  became  a  sort  of  Robin  Hood  He  was  gen- 
erous and  beloved  by  his  friends,  but  a  terror  to  the  partisans  of  New 
York.  The  authorities  of  that  State  proclaimed  him  a  felon,  and 
offered  a  reward  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  for  his  apprehen- 
sion. When  the  war  of  the  Revolution  broke  out,  he  became  promi- 
nent in  connection  with  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga,  and  afterwards 
used  his  influence  to  heal  the  dissensions  between  the  States  of  New 
Hampshire  and  New  York.  The  same  year  he  united  with  John 
Brown,  of  Pittsfleld,  Massachusetts,  in  the  attack  upon  Montreal,  and 
was  taken  prisoner.  He  was  held  a  prisoner  until  exchanged  in  1778, 
but  never  afterwards  performed  any  active  service.  From  178CT,  to 
(he  close  of  the  war,  his  sword  was  sheathed.  It  is  claimed  that  from 
Ibis  period  he  was  engaged  in  a  treasonable. movement  to  attach  Ver- 
mont to  the  King's  government.  At  one  time  this  was  reported  in 
Kngland  as  accomplished.  Allen  died  in  Colchester,  Vt.,  February  13, 
1789,  and  was  buried  near  Burlington.  If  we  have  left  Allen  less  a 
hero  than  we  found  him,  it  is  because  the  study  of  American  history 
is  now  passing  into  a  now  stage,  and  it  is  not  deemed  necessary  to 
engage  in  tho  indiscriminate  praise  of  every  person  who  liapi  cued  to 
bear  a  part  in  the  Revolution. 


154  TICONDEKOGA. 

Continental  Congress  not  assembling  in  Philadelphia 
until  six  hours  after  the  fort  surrendered ;  and  a  week 
after — when  the  news  came — the  members  were 
on  the  point  of  apologizing  for  this  hasty  act.  It 
therefore  seems  improbable  that  he  used  the  language 
in  question.  The  only  person  who  had  the  semblance 
of  official  authority  was  Arnold,  without  whom  the 
expedition  possibly  might  have  failed;  and  yet  he 
could  not  alone  command  a  bayonet.  He  was  never- 
theless recognized  by  the  people,  who,  July  3,  pre- 
sented him  an  address  conveying  the  thanks  of  the 
representatives  of  between  five  or  six  hundred  fam- 
ilies residing  on  Lake  Champlain  and  vicinity.1 
Arnold's  reply  was  written  the  next  day  at  Crown 
Point. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice,  too,  that  the  first  person  to 
receive  public  credit  was  Colonel  Easton,  who  is 
represented  in  Thomas'  Oracle  of  Liberty,  May  24, 
as  demanding  the  surrender  of  the  fort.  It  is  there 
stated  that  Easton  "  clapped  him  [De  La  Place]  on 
the  shoulder,"  calling  upon  him  to  surrender  "  in  the 
name  of  America."3  This  of  course  is  incorrect,  yet 
the  statement  has  a  certain  significance.  The  denial 
of  Easton's  claim  was  given,  August  3,3  by  one  of 
Arnold's. friends,  who,  while  declaring  he  was  the  first 
to  enter  the  fort,  does  not  claim  any  pre-eminence  for 
Arnold  as  the  originator  of  the  plan.  Speaking  of  the 
action  of  the  Connecticut  leaders,  the  writer  alluded 

(1)— N.  Y.  Journal,  Aug.8.  (2)  — ib.  (3)  — ib. 


TICONDEROGA.  155 

to  simply  says  that  Arnold  "concerted  a  similar 
plan."1  The  statement  that  Arnold  entered  the  fort 
in  advance  of  Allen,  has  never  been  denied  by  any 
sufficient  authority.  Allen  never  claimed  this  par- 
ticular honor,  while  Arnold  reports  to  the  Massachu- 
setts Committee  that  he  was  "the  first  who  entered 
and  took  possession  of  the  fort."2  And  his  statement 
will  readily  gain  assent  when  we  remember  that 
Arnold  was  a  person  of  unbounded  assurance,  and 
never  allowed  any  man  to  go  before  him. 

From  this  general  statement  of  facts,  it  will  prob- 
ably appear,  to  unprejudiced  minds,  that  the  plan  was 
originally  formed  by  Mr.  John  Brown,  and  carried 
out  by  Vermont,  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  men 
with  Connecticut  money.  New  York  was  informed 
of  the  design  some  days  before,  but  gave  no  aid.  Yet 
there  were  patriots  who  could  applaud  the  act.  Says 
one  writer  on  this  occasion  :  "  The  public  spirit,  pru- 
dence, and  enterprising  genius  of  the  New-Englanders, 
will  ever  be  admired."3 

In  this  connection  there  is  one  other  point  that 
demands  notice.  Jared  Sparks,  in  his  life  of  Allen, 
states  that  he  was  guided  into  the  fort  by  a  young 
man  named  Nathan  Beaman.  This  information,  how- 
ever, was  received  by  Sparks  verbally,  through  a 
second  person,  and  he  had  no  sufficient  means  of 


(1)  —  N.  Y.  Journal,  Aug.  3, 1776. 

(2)  —  Force's  Archives,  Vol.  ii.  557 
(!Ji  —  N   Y.  Journal,  May  18,  1776. 


156  TICONDEROGA. 

investigating  its  truth.  But  Beaman1  afterwards  pub- 
lished what  he  calls  a  narrative,  which  shows  a  most 
remarkable  degree  of  ignorance,  and  bears  its  own 
refutation  on  its  face.  The  account  given  to  Mr. 
Sparks  states  that  his  father  was  not  acquainted  with 
the  ground,2  while  his  published  narrative  states  that 
he,  with  his  father  and  mother,  dined  with  Captain 
De  La  Place  the  very  day  before  the  capture,  and  that 
they  spent  the  whole  day  on  the  grounds  of  the  fort.3 
But  what  is  more,  he  states  positively  that  Arnold 
was  not  at  the  capture  at  all,  and  that  "  it  was  some 
days  after  the  capture  of  the  fort  that  Arnold  ap- 
peared."4 Such  is  the  man  whom  Mr.  Sparks  brings 
forward  to  help  make  American  history.  Yet  it  is 
due  to  that  eminent  writer  to  state  that  he  gives  the 
source  of  his  information  in  a  note  ;  and  it  would  have 
been  well  if  the  popular  writers  who  copied  his 
statement  had  imitated  his  example,  instead  of  lend- 
ing themselves  to  the  dissemination  of  a  fraud. 

According  to  his  own  finding,  Beaman  violated  all 
the  rights  of  hospitality ;  and  one  capable  of  such  an 
act  would  not  scruple  to  corrupt  history.  The  most 
charitable  thing,  therefore,  that  we  can  say  of  Beaman 

(1)  —  Beaman  was  a  celebrated  wolf-hunter,  aud  was  engaged  in 
the  "wolf  frauds"  ot  Northern  New  York. 

(2)  — Life  of  Ethan  Allen. 

(3)  — See  N.  Y.  Spectator,  Feb.  7, 1847. 

(4)  —  He  also  says  that  when  Arnold  appeared,  he  met  Allen  on  the 
bridge,  thrown  across  from  Mount  Independence  to  Ticonderoga,  and 
that  the  latter  knocked   off  Arnold's  gold-laced  hat,  which  gunk  in 
the  lake  from  the  weight  of  bullion. 


TICONDEROGA.  157 

is,  that  he  belonged  to  a  class  of  men  who  for  some 
years  lived  around  the  lake,  cherishing  prejudices  that 
had  survived  the  loss  of  memory,  and  all  the  while 
raingloriously  imagining  themselves  actually  to  be 
the  heroes  that,  under  favorable  circumstances,  they 
might  have  been. 

By  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga,  the  American  colo- 
nies secured  what  cost  the  British  government  eight 
millions  of  pounds  sterling.  A  good  morning's 
work ! 

The  American  forces  held  Ticonderoga  until  July, 
1777.  The  New-York  Committee  of  Safety  had  the 
cannon  and  principal  war  material  removed  up  Lake 
George,  while  a  portion  of  the  light  artillery  was  sent 
to  Massachusetts.  When  the  British  commander, 
General  Phillips,  acting  under  the  orders  of  Bur- 
goyne,  ascended  Lake  Champlain  and  took  possession 
of  Mount  Hope,  thus  cutting  off  the  retreat  by  the 
way  of  Lake  George ;  and  when  General  Frazer  also 
began  to  erect  batteries  on  Mount  Defiance,  the  posi- 
tion of  the  American  garrison  became  extremely  dan- 
gerous. Accordingly  General  St.  Clair,  who  was  then 
in  command,  held  a  council  of  his  officers  and  decided 
to  order  a  retreat.  At  about  two  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
ing of  July  6th,  the  Americans  reluctantly  began  to 
file  out  of  the  works.  Contrary  to  orders,  some 
person  set  fire  to  a  house,  the  light  of  which  enabled 
the  British  on  Mount  Defiance  to  discover  the  move 
ments.  The  forces  were  then  obliged  to  hasten  their 


158  TICONDEHOGA. 

departure  and  march  with  some  disorder.  The  bag- 
gage was  nevertheless  got  off  to  Whitehall,  while  the 
most  of  the  troops  took  the  road  to  Castleton,  being 
pursued  by  the  British.  Thus  Ticonderoga,  though 
in  a  somewhat  dilapidated  condition,  passed  once  more 
into  the  hands  of  the  English.  General  Schuyler, 
then  in  command  of  the  northern  department,  did  not 
order  this  act,  as  was  reported ;  while  St.  Clair  himself 
was  subsequently"  justified  by  an  investigation. 

September  25,  Colonel  John  Brown,  the  author  of 
the  original  plan  to  capture  Ticonderoga,  acting  under 
orders  from  General  Lincoln,  marched  with  five  hun- 
dred men  and  surprised  and  captured  the  outworks  of 
Ticonderoga,  with  two  hundred  batteaux,  an  armed 
sloop,  two  hundred  and  ninety-three  prisoners,  and  five 
cannon.  Pie  also  released  one  hundred  American 
prisoners,  and  recaptured  a  continental  flag.  Yet  he 
did  not,  as  on  his  first  visit,  succeed  in  getting  into 
the  fort,  and  was  ultimately  obliged  to  give  up  the 
attempt. 

After  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  in  1777,  the  Fort 
was  dismantled.  In  1780  General  Haldiman  advanced 
with  a  few  British  troops  and  held  the  place.  It  was 
from  this  point  that  Major  Carlton  marched  to  attack 
Forts  Edward  and  George,  during  the  invasion  of 
General  John  Johnson. 

After  the  Revolutionary  "War  closed,  this  structure, 
though  built  and  maintained  at  an  almost  fabulous 
cost,  was  allowed  to  fall  into  decay.  It  is  now  a  heap 


TICONDEROGA. 


159 


; 


of  mouldering  and  picturesque  ruins,  where  the  histo- 
rian and  antiquarian  especially  love  to  linger,  dwelling 
in  thought  upon  the  olden  times.  Some  localities  and 
objects  can  be  identified,  while  others  must  be  left  to 
conjecture.  Let  us,  therefore,  in  imagination,  take 
a  stroll  over  the  ground. 

As  we  go  up  from  the  steamer's  pier,  we  pass  the 
old  garrison  well,  and  proceed  on  the  same  way  taken 
by  Arnold  and  Allen  in  1775.  But  no  drowsy  senti- 
nel snaps  his  fuzee  as  we  enter  the  broken  gate. 

Indeed,  we  can 
hardly  tell  where 
the  gateway  was. 
Nevertheless,  we 
clamber  over  the 
fallen  masonry  un- 
til we  find  our- 
selves  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  fort, 
and  begin  to  look 
around  us.  Here,  certainly,  were  the  officers'  barracks, 
where  the  high  and  massive  walls  now  instantly  threat- 
en to  fall.  There  is  the  entrance  to  the  so-called 
"  bakery."  A  poor  oven,  but  a  worse  powder  maga- 
zine, if  the  latter  use  ever  claimed  it.  You  must  make 
your  way  into  its  dim  recesses,  and  settle  the  question 
for  yourself,  remembering  that  when  Amherst  captured 
the  place,  it  had  three  ovens  or  bakeries,  instead  of  one.1 


BAKERY 


(1)  —  Wilson's  Orderly  Book,  p.  106. 


l6o  TICONDEROGA. 

The  use  of  this  open  space  we  must  certainly  know. 
This  is  the  parade  : 

"  The  men  at  arms  were  mustered  here: 
Here  would  the  fretted  war-horse  bound, 
Starting  to  hear  the  trumpet's  sound." 

Up  yonder,  perhaps,  was 

"  The  Lady's  Chamber,  whence 
With  looks  of  lovely  innocence 
Some  heroine  our  fancy  dresses 
In  golden  locks  or  raven  tresses, 
And  pearl  embroidered  silks  and  stuffs, 
And  quaintly  quitlcd  sleeves  and  muffs, 
Looked  forth  to  see  retainers  go, 
Or  trembled  at  the  assaulting  foe." 

We  will  say  that  Madame  De  La  Place  rested  there. 
And  this  hole,  which  is  now  choked  with  rubbish, 

"  Was  the  Dungeon ;  deep  and  dark, 
Where  the  starved  prisoner  moaned  in  vain, 
Until  Death  left  him,  stiff  and  stark, 
Unconscious  of  the  galling  chain." 

At  Crown  Point  the  Jesuit  Fathers  had  their  Chapel 
and  bell,  and  regular  hours  for  prayer.  It  was  un- 
doubtedly so  here  at  Ticonderoga.  We  may  rightly 
find  an  ecclesiastical  corner,  and  with  our  poet  say  : 

"  This  was  the  Chapel :  that  the  stair : 
Here,  where  all  lies  damp  and  bare. 
The  fragrant  thurible  was  swung, 
The  silver  lamp  in  beauty  hung." 

There  can  be,  however,  no  doubt  about  the  kitehen, 
for  all  soldiers  must  eat,  even  if  they  do  not  pray  or 
give  thanks : 


TICONDEKOGA.  l6l 

"This  was  the  Kitchen.    Cold  and  blank 
The  huge  hearth  yawns:  and  wide  and  high. 
The  chimney  shows  the  open  sky." 

And  thus  we  might  go  on  at  any  length,  and  spend 
the  entire  day  in  recalling  the  memories  of  the  past. 
But  the  stage,  or  the  steamer,  we  may  fancy,  is  waiting 
to  take  us  back  to  the  landing  at  Lake  George,  or 
carry  us  down  Charnplain.  Yet  before  you  leave, 
visit  the  south  bastion  looking  towards  Mount  Defi- 
ance, where  tradition  says  that  a  beautiful  Indian 
maiden  once  threw  herself  down  headlong,  in  order  to 
escape  the  importunities  of  a  French  officer,  whom 
she  had  refused  to  accept  as  her  lover.  The  tradition 
may  not  be  a  very  ancient  one,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  "  we  read  in  rare  books  "  of  this  occurrence  ; 
yet  the  summer  tourist,  who  does  not  ask  for  histor- 
ical authorities  will  not  refuse  a  pretty  embellishment 
of  the  local  history.  Besides,  as  all  Indian  localities 
can  produce  some  legend  of  this  kind,  why  should 
Ticonderoga  fall  behind  the  rest  ? 


SCHROON  LAKE  AND  THE  ADIRONDACK^. 


CHAPTER      X. 

No  chieftain  raises  to  the  sky 
The  gladness  of  his  battle-cry. 

STAGIKG —  FORT  WILLIAM  HENRY  HOTEL  —  THE  BOTJTE  TO 
SCHROON  —  THE  LAKE  —  THE  ROAD  TO  LONG  LAKE  — 
THE  LAKE  SYSTEM  — THE  MOUNTAINS  — CAMP  LIFE — 
DISTANCES. 

||*AMBLING  from  point  to  point,  we 
•  have  now  entered  upon  times  of 
peace,  and  in  our  trip  to  Schroon 
and  the  Adirondacks,  we  shall  have 
but  little  to  say  of  the  conflicts  of  former 
years.  A  Dew  route  to  Schroon  Lake  and 
the  Adirondack  region,  lies  by  the  way  of 
the  head,  or  south  end,  of  Lake  George. 
The  public  conveyance  is  found  in  the  coaches 
of  the  Glen's  Falls,  Lake  George,  and  Chester  Stage 
Company,  though  the  Adirondack  Railway  has  al- 
ready pushed  on  from  Saratoga,  past  Warrensburg, 
in  its  course  to  the  wilderness.  Yet  this  course  takes 
the  tourist  away  from  Lake  George.  Already,  how- 
ever, an  extension  of  the  railroad  to'  Caldwell,  at  the 
head  of  the  lake,  is  projected.  But  at  present  the 


THE      ADIKONDACKS.  163 

stage  route  begins  at  Glen's  Falls,  which  is  about 
,  nine  miles  from  Lake  George.  From  Glen's  Falls  to 
Schroon,  the  distance  is  forty-two  miles,  the  road  run- 
ning through  a  beautifully  diversified  country,  whose 
signs  of  civilization  gradually  fade  away,  until  they 
disappear  in  the  mazes  of  the  great  wilderness  of 
New  York,  which  in  the  not  distant  future  is  des- 
tined to  furnish  homes  to  large  and  flourishing  pop- 
ulations. So  rapidly,  indeed,  are  the  changes  being 
made,  that  a  hand-book  of  the  region  must,  of  ne- 
cessity, be  wanting  in  many  particulars. 

In  the  opening  chapter  of  this  work,  the  route  to 
Lake  George  has  been  briefly  described ;  and  since 
the  road  to  Schroon  passes  the  same  way,  it  will  not 
be  necessary  to  speak  of  it  again.  Yet  the  lover  of 
the  horrible  may  be  interested  in  viewing  one  locality 
not  already  mentioned,  known  as  "  Blind  Rock."  This 
rock,  now  sunk  almost  out  of  sight,  lies  a  few  rods 
east  of  the  plank  road  on  the  side  of  the  hill,  a  little 
beyond  Glen's  Falls.  Tradition  tells  us  that  it  marks 
"  the  spot  where  the  eyes  of  captives  were  put  out," 
and  where,  in  the  barbarous  days  of  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  country,  "  the  Indian  children  set  to 
amusing  themselves  by  torturing  them."1  And  if  the 
visitor  comes  to  Glen's  Falls  by  the  way  of  Fort 
Edward,  lie  may  not  only  view  the  site  of  that  mem- 
orable colonial  rallying-point,  but  may  also  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  grave  of  Jane  McCrea,  and  the  tree 

(1)  —  Historical  Sketch,  by  the  Rev.  A.  J.  Fennel,  p.  6. 


164  SCHROON       LAKE       AND 

under  which  she  is  said  to  have  been  murdered  by  the 
Indians  in  the  year  1777.  Of  late  years  the  whole 
subject  has  been  brought  under  searching  examination, 
and  the  circumstances  have  at  least  been  shorn  of  a 
portion  of  their  romance;  yet  in  all  coming  time  this 
spot  will  possess  a  curious  interest  for  the  traveller. 

The  first  stopping-place,  after  leaving  Glen's  Falls, 
is  at  the  French-Mountain  post-office  and  telegraph 
station,  where  there  is  a  tavern  known  as  the  Half- 
Way  House,  midway  between  Glen's  Falls  and  Lake 
George.  Here  the  coach  usually  delays  a  few  min- 
utes ;  and  the  tourist,  if  he  has  occasion  to  do  so,  can 
step  across  the  road  to  the  telegraph  office,  and  inquire 
the  price  of  stocks  on  Wall  street,  or  drop  a  word  to 
a  friend  anywhere  in  the  United  States ;  or  he  may 
delay  this  act  until  he  reaches  Warrensburg,  the 
terminus  of  the  telegraph  line. 

Anon  Jehu  mounts  the  box,  cracks  his  whip,  and 
.we  are  off  on  the  firm  plank  road,  which  here  makes 
staging  so  comfortable.  In  succession  we  pass  Wil- 
liams' Monument,  Bloody  Pond,  Forts  Gage  and 
George ;  until  finally  the  head  of  Lake  St.  Sacrament 
comes  in  view,  with  "  Fort  William  Henry "  Hotel 
standing  on  the  site  of  the  ill-fated  colonial  stronghold 
which  bore  that  name.  No  one  will  think  of  riding 
by  without  passing  some  time  in  viewing  the  various 
points  of  interest,  such  as  the  Magazine,  the  Garrison 
Well,  the  Old  French  Burying-Ground,  and  the  ruins 


THE      ADIRONDACKS.  165 

of  Fort  George.  Near  the  Lake  House  is  the  spot 
where  Montcalm  opened  the  trenches  and  planted 
his  guns  to  batter  down  the  walls  of  Fort  William 
Henry. 

The  provisions  made  for  travellers  at  Caldwell  are 
ample.  Re-built  in  the  year  1869,  the  Fort  William 
Henry  Hotel  furnishes  princely  accommodations  for 
more  than  a  thousand  guests.  The  Lake  House 
has  for  many  years  maintained  the  reputation  which 
it  deservedly  enjoys;  while  those  who  desire  to  pass 
their  time  in  greater  quiet  and  seclusion  can  find 
at  Crosby-Side,  a  charming  home  for  a  summer's 
sojourn.  This  house  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of 
the  lake,  a  short  distance  from  the  village. 

The  village  of  Caldwell  itself  is  pleasant,  while  its 
air  is  always  salubrious.  On  Sunday,  the  church- 
going  bell  invites  the  traveller  to  the  house  of  wor- 
ship, and  the  entire  neighborhood  is  invested  with  an 
air  of  delightful  repose. 

Monday  noon,  let  us  say,  we  mount  to  the  top  of 
the  coach,  (remembering  that  particular  seats  cannot 
be  secured  in  advance,  and  that  possession  is  even 
more  than  nine  points  of  the  law,)  and  thus  we  roll 
out  of  the  village,  passing  on  the  right  the  Lake 
House,  and  on  the  left  several  small  hostelries  and 
stores. 

The  road  to  Warrensburg  is  somewhat  wild  and 
picturesque,  and  passes  through  dense  forests  of  oak 


100  SCHROON      LAKE      AND 

and  pine.  At  Warrensburg  we  strike  the  Scliroon 
River,  flowing  on  its  way  to  the  Hudson,  of  which  it 
forms  a  branch.  A  neat  stone  church,  of  the  early 
English  style,  and  one  or  two  elegant  private  resi- 
dences, here  form  the  chief  architectural  adornments. 
This  place  is  six  miles  from  Lake  George  and  about 
twenty  miles  from  Moreau. 

A  few  miles  beyond  Warrensburg,  to  the  west,  is 
Crane's  Mountain,  about  three  thousand  feet  high, 
noted  for  the  profile  of  Washington  formed  by  its 
being  thrown  against  the  sky.  Passing  on,  over  a 
road  cut  out  of  the  side  of  a  deep  ravine,  through  which 
a  stream  is  seen  choked  by  boulders,  and  yet  straggling 
on  its  way,  the  next  village  is  Chester,  twelve  miles 
from  Warrensburg,  a  little  beyond  which  the  summit 
of  Landon  Hill  is  reached,  with  its  fine  views  of  the 
surrounding  country.  Descending  into  the  valley  of 

the  Schroon,  at  "about  six  miles  from  Chester,  we  reach 

• 

Pottersville.  From  Pottersville  to  Schroon  Lake  is 
nine  more.  At  both  Chester  and  Pottersville,  the 
traveller  will  find  good  houses  of  entertainment ;  while 
at  Schroon  Lake  a  new  and  fine  hotel  has  just  been 
erected  for  the  comfort  of  the  constantly  increasing 
throngs  that  now  come  to  this  charming  place  during 
the  summer  months. 

Schroon  Lake  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  nearly 
ten  miles  long,  situated  partly  in  Essex  and  partly  in 
Warren  County.  Properly  speaking,  this*  lake  is  an 
enlargement  of  the  north-east  branch  of  the  Hudson 


THE      ADIRONDACKS.  167 

River.  It  stands  much  higher  than  Lake  George, 
being  no  less  than  one  thousand  feet  above  tide-water. 
It  contains  but  a  single  island,  while  the  mountains 
around  its  border  rise  to  the  height  of  seven  or  eight 
hundred  feet. 

There  is  some  difference  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the 
origin  and  meaning  of  its  name.  Spoffard  says,  that 
"  a  northern  Indian,  a  tolerable  English  scholar," 
derived  it  from  Ska-ne-tah-ro-wah-na,  signifying  the 
Largest  Lake.1  French  writes  :  "  Some  say  Schroon 
is  derived  from  an  Adirondack  word,"  which  means 
"  a  child  or  daughter  of  the  mountain."2  But  a  corres- 
pondent says  that  he  once  saw  it  stated  somewhere,  that 
the  lake  was  discovered  at  an  early  day  by  several 
French  officers  from  Crown  Point,  who  were  out 
hunting.  They  called  it  "  Scaron,"  after  the  second 
wife3  of  Louis  XIV.  This  correspondent  also  adds 
that  a  few  years  ago,  "a  Sappho-like  origin  of  the 
name "  was  devised  from  •'  Scarona,  a  Squaw,  who, 
like  Winona  and  many  others,  had  leaped  over  a 

(1)  —  Gaz.,  p.  472.  (2)  —  Gaz.,  p.  304. 

(3)  —  Francoise  d'Aubigne  Maintenon  was  born  in  a  prison,  in 
Niort,  France,  November  27, 1635.  She  became  a  Human  Catholic, 
and  was  on  the  point  of  entering  a  convent;  but  in  1651,  after  a 
week's  deliberation,  married  the  comic  poet,  Scarron,  who  was  both 
a  paralytic  and  a  cripple.  She  became  a  widow,  October  14,  1660, 
and  was  greatly  distinguished  for  her  beauty.  Her  rare  wisdom  aud 
wit  attracted  the  attention  of  Louis  XIV.,  who,  unable  to  persuade 
her  to  accept  any  less  honorable  relation,  made  her  his  wife.  After 
the  death  of  the  king,  in  1715,  she  retired  to  the  Convent  of  St.  Cyr, 
where  she  continued  to  pass  her  days  in  charity  and  devotion,  dying 
April  15, 1719. 


l68  SCHROON      LAKE      AND 

precipice  into  the  lake"  and  was  drowned.  But  Gov- 
ernor Tryon's  map  of  1779,  lays  down  the  lake  with 
the  name  "  Scaron."  The  map  of  1796  also  shows 
this  name.  It  is,  therefore,  not  at  all  unreasonable 
to  suppose  that  this  lake,  like  Lake  St.  Sacrament, 
received  its  name  from  the  French,  who  thus  sought 
to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  distinguished  women  of  those  times. 

There  is  considerable  of  interest  to  be  seen  here. 
For  instance,  on  the  north  border  of  Chester  is  a 
natural  bridge,  under  which  a  stream  passes  to  Schroon 
Lake.  This  stream,  after  falling  into  a  basin,  enters 
a  passage  in  two  branches  under  the  arch,  which  is 
forty  feet  high  and  eighty  wide.  It  was  described 
(1796)  as  running  "under  a  hill,  the  base  of  which 
is  sixty  or  seventy  yards  in  diameter,  forming  a  most 
curious  and  beautiful  arch  in  the  rock  as  white  as 
snow.  The  fury  of-  the  water  and  the  roughness  of 
the  bottom,  added  to  the  terrific  noise  within,  have 
hitherto  prevented  any  person  from  passing  through 
the  chasm." 

The  town  called  Schroon  was  formed  from  a 
part  of  Crown  Point  in  1804.  The  town  of 
Minerva  was  taken  from  Schroon  in  1817 ;  and 
in  1840,  the  township  still  being  considered  too 
large,  a  part  of  it  was  re-annexed  to  Crown  Point. 
The  west  and  northwest  portions  are  covered  by  the 
Schroon  Mountains,  and  the  northeast  by  the  Kyad- 
derosseras  range.  Mount  Pharaoh  is  the  highest 


THE      ADIRONDACKS.  169 

peak  of  the  latter  range,  it  being  no  less  than  three 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  the  tide.  There  are 
numerous  other  lofty  peaks  that  well  deserve  mention, 
and  which  well  repay  the  tourist  for  climbing.  Near 
Mount  Pharaoh  is  a  cluster  of  small  but  beautiful 
lakes,  the  principal  of  which  takes  its  name  from 
the  great  mountain  by  which  it  is  overshadowed. 
Another  of  the  lakes,  near  the  centre  of  the  group,  is 
known  by  the  name  of  Paradox  Lake.  The  surface 
of  this  lake  is  so  near  the  level  of  Schroon  River, 
which  forms  its  outlet,  that  during  the  spring  floods 
the  water  flows  into  it,  instead  of  flowing  out.  This 
whole  region  now  made  so  accessible  by  the  stage- 
coach, forms  a  charming  place  for  a  summer  resort. 
But  let  us  now  turn  our  steps  still  further  westward. 

In  order  to  reach  the  Wilderness  region,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  retrace  our  steps  to  Pottersville,  or  else,  when 
we  reach  this  point  in  approaching  Schroon,  to  diverge 
at  once  towards  Minerva,  leaving  the  jaunt  to  Schroon 
to  be  performed  at  another  time. 

The  distance  from  Pottersville  to  Minerva,  taking 
Olmsteadville  on  the  way,  is  nine  miles.  Soon  we 
enter  the  forest,  and  now,  for  a  time,  the  bark  shanty 
and  occasional  log  house,  alone  tell  of  life.  The  road 
for  a  few  miles  is  rough,  but  projected  improvements 
will  soon  bring  the  traveller  relief.  The  wild  valley 
of  the  Boreas  is  erelong  seen,  and  soon  the  rapid 
river  itself  is  crossed.  The  Minerva  road,  at  fifteen 
miles  from  that  place,  intersects  the  Carthage  road, 


170  SCHROON      LAKE      AND 

which  runs  through  the  wilderness  east  and  west. 
Six  miles  from  this  point,  and  after  crossing  the  Hud- 
son, the  traveller  finds  satisfactory  quarters  at  the 
house  of  Daniel  Bissell. 

Thus  far  the  road  is,  for  the  greater  part,  as  good 
as  the  average  of  country  roads,  and  continues  such  to 
the  head  of  Long  Lake,  seventeen  miles,  near  which, 
on  the  lake  shore,  is  a  thriving  settlement,  where 
good  accommodations  are  found.  Continuing  thence, 
ten  miles,  and  crossing  the  outlet  of  Raquette  Lake, 
we  come  to  a  large  house  now  open  for  visitors.  We 
found  that  in  passing  on  to  Schroon  Lake,  we  gradu- 
ally rose  eight  hundred  feet  above  Lake  George,  and 
during  this  stage  of  the  journey,  there  is  another  lift 
of  between  six  and  eight  hundred  feet,  which  lands 
us  upon  the  central  portion  of  the  great  plateau  occu- 
pied by  the  Wilderness  of  New  York. 

This  region  embraces  a  large  portion  of  the  counties 
of  Warren,  Hamilton,  Essex,  Clinton,  Franklin,  St. 
Lawrence,  Lewis,  and  Herkimer.  In  the  northern 
part  of  this  tract  are  the  Chateaugay  woods.  Contig- 
uous to  these  are  the  St.  Regis  woods,  which  join  the 
Saranac  Lakes,  and  Raquette  Lake.  Away  towards 
the  east  are  the  Adirondack  Mountains ;  and  on  the 
south,  Lake  Pleasant  and  John  Brown's  tract. 

There  are  four  distinct  divisions  in  the  streams  and 
lakes :  the  Saranac  Lakes  flowing  through  their  out- 
lets into  Lake  Champlain ;  Raquette  Lake  and  its  con- 
fluents flowing  into  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  the  head-waters 


THE       ADIRONDACKS. 


171 


of  Black,  Moose,  and  Beaver  Rivers  emptying  into 
Lake  Ontario ;  while  the  fourth  finally  unites  in  the 
Hudson  and  runs  to  the  sea.  This  whole  region  is 
covered  by  a  complete  network  of  lakes,  ponds,  and 
streams,  so  that  a  large  portion  of  the  country  may  be 


RAQUETTE      LAKE. 

traversed  in  boats.  Yet  in  order  to  gain  the  fullest 
views  of  the  scenery,  it  is  necessary  to  travel  more  or 
less  on  land. 

The  magnificent  sheet  of  water  known  as  Raquette 
Lake,  is  seventeen  hundred  and  forty-five  feet  above 


172  SCHKOON      LAKE      AND 

tide,  in  the  northern  part  of  Hamilton  county.  It  is 
the  geographical  centre  of  the  wilderness,  and  from 
the  plateau  upon  which  it  rests,  the  waters  of  the 
Hudson,  Black,  Moose,  and  Raquette  rivers,  rise 
and  flow  in  their  several  directions.  This  is  the 
centre  of  the  lake  region.  Raquette  Lake  is  the 
largest  of  the  interior  lakes,  and  has  a  coast-line  of 
seventy-five  miles,  of  wonderful  irregularity,  forming 
projecting  points  and  deep  bays,  which  afford  variety 
in  every  direction.  The  reflecting  power  of  its  pure 
water  is  remarkable. 

To  the  east  towers  Blue  Mountain,  four  thousand 
feet  high,  and  directly  at  its  base  nestles  that  gem  of 
the  woods,  whose  charms  are  recognized  by  all — Blue 
Mountain  Lake — the  waters  of  which,  after  mingling 
with  those  of  Eagle  and  Utowana  Lakes,  find  their 
way  through  Marion  River  to  Raquette  Lake. 

To  the  southwest  of  the  Raquette,  lies  the  Moose 
River  chain  of  lakes,  numbered  from  one  to  eight,  the 
eighth  of  which  is  separated  from  west  inlet  of  Ra- 
quette Lake  by  a  portage  of  only  one  mile.  These 
lakes  extend  through  part  of  Hamilton  and  Herkimer 
counties,  and  can  be  traversed  by  boat  twenty  miles 
to  Arnold's,  on  the  Moose  River,  through  which  these 
lakes  flow  into  the  Black  River.  From  Arnold's  to 
Booneville  on  the  Utica  Railroad,  land  travel  must  be 
resorted  to  on  account  of  the  impetuosity  of  the  river. 
Space  will  not  permit  even  a  notice  of  the  lakes  and 
streams  tributary  to  this  particular  water  system,  and 


THE      ADIKONDACKS.  173 

we  can  only  say  that  the  ascent  of  some  of  them 
would  lead  to  places  where  the  foot  of  man  has  never 
trod. 

About  four  miles  north  of  Raquette  Lake,  and 
accessible  by  the  Carthage  road,  lies  Beach  Lake, 
noted  not  only  for  its  beauty,  but  for  preserving  the 
name  of  the  first  hunter  and  trapper  who  made  his 
home  on  Raquette  Lake,  at  Indian  Point.  And  it  is 
worth  while,  perhaps,  in  this  connection  to  state,  that 
Mathew  Beach,  though  possessing  little  book-learning, 
had,  nevertheless,  acquired  a  valuable  kind  of  culture. 
He  was  a  shrewd  observer  of  character,  and  seldom 
erred  in  his  judgment  of  men.  He  studied  closely  the 
habits  of  animals  of  the  forest,  and  was  a  careful 
student  of  nature.  In  the  autumn  of  1861,  while 
endeavoring  (after  a  visit  to  his  relations)  to  return  to 
the  forest  home  that  he  loved  so  well,  Mr.  Beach  was 
overcome  by  the  infirmities  of  age,  and  finally  died  in 
the  month  of  March,  1862,  at  the  "  Lower  Works," 
having  arrived  at  the  advanced  age  of  more  than 
eighty  years.  He  will  long  be  remembered  by  the 
earlier  visitors  as  a  good  representative  of  the  charac- 
ter revealed  in  Cooper's  Leather-Stocking. 

Raquette  River  leaves  the  lake  of  the  same  name, 
and  after  a  northerly  course  of  half  a  mile,  enters 
Forked  Lake,  a  large,  picturesque  sheet  of  water, 
having  tributary  to  it  a  number  of  smaller  lakes  and 
ponds.  Continuing  its  course  from  this  lake,  the 
river,  after  a  succession  of  rapids  and  plunging  over 


174  SCHROON      LAKE      AND 

Buttermilk  Falls,  enters  and  passes  through  Long 
Lake.  This  lake  has  been  much  and  justly  admired 
for  its  beautiful  scenery.  It  is  sixteen  miles  long, 
and  its  greatest  breadth  does  not  exceed  two  miles. 
Around  its  border  high  mountains  rise  in  all  direc- 
tions. At  its  southern  extremity  is  Owl's  Head,  with 
its  craggy  summit;  and  in  the  direction  of  its  northern 
termination  is  Mount  Seward.  The  river  leaving 
Long  Lake  is  broad  and  rapid,  with  but  a  single 
obstruction  to  boat-navigation  for  over  thirty  miles. 
At  a  distance  of  six  miles  are  the  High  Falls,  which 
are  passed  by  a  portage  of  one  mile.  About  seven 
miles  farther  on,  a  diversion  can  be  made  through 
Stony  Brook,  a  winding  stream,  and  the  ponds  at  its 
head,  from  which,  over  the  Indian  Carry  of  one  mile, 
the  upper  of  the  three  Saranac  Lakes  is  reached. 
And  here  once  more  we  launch  our  boat  on  a  beau-, 
tiful  miniature  inland  sea,  where  every  prospect  serves 
to  delight  the  eye.  The  upper  Saranac  is  the  largest 
of  the  three  lakes  which  bear  this  name.  It  is  consider- 
able longer  and  broader  than  Tupper  Lake,  and  is-,  like 
the  most  of  the  lakes,  beautifully  studded  with  emerald 
isles.  From  this  lake  we  may  find  our  way  to  the  St. 
Regis  Lake ;  and,  after  viewing  the  scenery,  work  back 
to  near  the  point  of  departure  and  then  enter  Round 
Lake,  so  called  with  reference  to  its  shape,  and  cross 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Saranac  River.  This  stream 
empties  into  the  Lower  Saranac  and  passes  out  again 
at  its  side  half  way  down.  If  bound  for  home,  leave 


THE      ADIRONDACKS.  175 

the  lake  where  the  river  leaves  it,  and,  following  its 
course,  make  your  next  stopping-place  at  Baker's  Inn. 
From  this  point,  if  there  is  time,  travel  by  land  on 
foot,  or  otherwise,  to  Lake  Placid.  Descending  this 
lovely  lake,  overshadowed  by  mighty  White  Face, 
proceed  to  climb  its  sides.  This  done,  we  go  back  to 
Baker's,  and  thence,  descending  the  Saranac  River, 
emerge  from  the  woods  by  the  favorite  route  of 
Keeseville,  Port  Kent,  and  Lake  Champlain.  Other- 
wise, the  Plattsburgh  route  may  be  followed,  leaving 
the  river  at  Bloomingdale,  going  by  earth  road  to 
Franklin  Falls,  from  the  falls  by  plank  road  to 
Ausable  Forks,  and  thence  by  carriage  across  the 
country  to  the  place  of  embarkation  on  Lake  Cham- 
plain.  But  we  must  go  back  another  way. 

Returning  to  Raquette  River,  at  the  point  of  digres- 
sion, the  tourist  floats  down  the  rapid  current,  around 
bends,  over  gravelly  beds,  along  banks  rich  in  varying 
scene  and  changing  verdure,  when  all  at  once,  by  the 
stroke  of  an  oar,  and,  as  if  by  magic,  the  sight  of  one 
of  the  finest  sheets  of  water  in  the  world  bursts  upon 
the  view.  The  effect  of  this  sudden  transition  can 
hardly  be  described.  This  body  of  water  is  Tupper 
Lake,  with  its  islands,  overhanging  cliffs,  ^and  rocky 
shores.  A  singular  feature,  and  one  without  parallel 
in  all  this  region,  is  the  rushing  of  Bay  River  over  a 
rocky  ledge  directly  into  the  lake  at  its  head. 

Passing  around  these  falls,  and  up  a  stream,  which 
is  sometimes  so  rapid  as  to  enforce  a  portage  of  two 


176  SCHROON      LAKE       AND 

miles,  made  along  by  the  side  of  a  succession  of  foam- 
ing cascades,  Lake  Clute  will  be  reached.  This  is 
another  large,  beautiful,  and  picturesque  body  of  water. 
Continuing  through  a  series  of  small  lakes,  with  occa- 
sional portages,  the  tourist  again  finds  Beach  and 
Raquette  Lakes,  having  made  a  long  and  circuitous 
voyage.  At  Lake  Clute  an  easterly  course  can  be 
taken  by  way  of  Slim  and  Clear  Ponds  to  Long 
Lake.  When  returning  homewards  we  shall  see 
that  the  west  branch  of  the  Hudson  has  its  source  in 
Hendrick  Spring,  within  three-fourths  of  a  mile  of 
the  east  bank  of  Long  Lake.  Formerly  the  spring 
divided  its  flow  between  the  waters  of  the  Raquette 
and  Hudson,  but  the  hand  of  man  has  destroyed 
this  beautiful  feature.  Following  down  the  Hudson 
through  Round  Pond,  Catlin  Lake,  Long  and  Lily 
Ponds,  Lakes  Rich  and  Harris,  each  with  their  pecu- 
liar natural  charms,  a  point  is  reached  just  above  the 
Carthage  Road  Bridge,  where  the  east  and  west 
branches  of  the  Hudson  unite  to  form  the  noble  river, 
which  constantly  gathers  strength  as  it  advances  on 
its  romantic  but  resistless  course  towards  the  distant 
sea.  But  we  are  to  speak  of  the  mountains. 

Remarkable  as  is  the  network  of  this  great  inland 
lake  and  river  system,  so  inadequately  described,  a 
field  of  interest,  more  wonderful  if  possible,  is  afforded 
in  the  lofty  ranges,  and  in  that  august  group  of  moun- 
tains, which  testify  of  natures  ancient,  and  mighty 
upheaval.  Of  the  ranges,  there  are  four:  The  Clin- 


THE      ADIKONDACKS.  177 

toil,  the  Palmertown,  the  Luzerne,  and  the  Chateau- 
gay.  These  are  parallel,  nearly  equidistant,  and, 
having  a  north-easterly  course  through  the  heart  of  the 
Wilderness,  terminate  on  the  westerly  shore  of  Lake 
Champlain.  The  Clinton  range,  the  largest  of  these, 
is  remarkable  as  furnishing  at  its  most  elevated  posi- 
tion, a  base  for  the  lofty  pinnacles  known  as  the  Adi- 
rondack group,  the  principal  of  which  are  Marcy,  Mc- 
Intyre,  McMartin,  Seward,  (surrounded  by  Cough- 
sa-ra-geh — Dismal  Wilderness),  and  Whiteface  ;  the 
first  being  the  highest  in  the  State,  having  an 
elevation  of  five  thousand  four  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  feet.  At  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  Mi- 
nerva with  the  Carthage  road,  the  visitor  takes  an 
easterly  course  along  the  latter  for  about  a  mile,  to 
the  "  Lower  Works,"  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Sanford, 
whence  a  road  of  ten  miles  conducts  to  the  Adirondack 
"  Upper  Works."  From  thence  to  Mount  Marcy,  or 
Tahawus,  the  Cloud-piercer,  it  is  four  miles,  and  three 
miles  farther  to  the  summit.  The  view  to  be  had  from 
here  will  repay  the  fatigue  of  the  arduous  ascent  up 
the  rugged,  precipitous  steeps.  The  term  group  does 
not  fully  express  what  might  be  called  the  personal 
characteristics  of  these  peaks,  towering  in  their  soli- 
tary grandeur.  Close  by,  between  Wall-Face  and 
Mclntyre,  is  the  Indian  or  Adirondack  Pass,  at  an 
elevation  of  twenty-eight  hundred  feet  above  tide. 
This  pass  is  a  great  chasm,  one  mile  in  length,  pro- 
duced by  an  ancient  convulsion,  and  whose  massive 


178  SCHROON      LAKE      AND 

walls  rise  perpendicularly  over  a  thousand  feet.  Be- 
sides those  named,  are  Santanoni,  Dix  Peak,  the 
mountains  about  Tupper  Lake,  Moose  River  Moun- 
tains, Blue  Mountain,  Goodenow,  and  many  others 
having  peculiar  features  of  interest.  The  Carthage 
road,  as  it  approaches  Long  Lake,  passes  at  the  foot 
of  Mount  Goodenow,  south  from  which  is  Mount 
Joseph,  bearing  evidence  of  once  having  been  a  vol- 
cano. On  the  very  summit  of  this  mountain  is  a  lake 
of  great  depth,  whose  boundary  on  one  side  is  removed 
from  the  edge  of  the  mountain  but  by  a  step,  and  at 
no  place  is  the  water-shed  of  sufficient  extent  to  meet 
ordinary  evaporation,  while  from  the  lake  a  stream 
of  good  size  runs  down  the  mountain  side.  Whence, 
then,  comes  the  unfailing  supply  ? 

In  this  rapid  survey  of  the  mountains  and  lakes  of 
the  wilderness,  the  object  has  been  not  to  undertake 
full  descriptions  which  would  require  many  chapters, 
but  to  give  a  general  idea  of  the  routes  usually  fol- 
lowed, and  the  principal  objects  of  interest, 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  remind  the  traveller  that 
in  entering  the  wilderness  region,  he  will,  in  a  great 
measure,  leave  civilization  behind  him.  Indeed,  it  is 
hard  to  believe  that  so  wild  a  region  can  exist  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  State.  Of  villages  there  are 
few,  and  the  loghouse,  the  bark  shanty,  and  the  tav- 
ern and  the  hotel,  are  the  chief  habitations  that  the 
interior  region  can  boast.  These,  however,  prove 
sufficient  for  the  visitors  who  come  here,  and  who 


THE      A  D  I  R  O  N  D  A  C  K  S.  179 

take  a  peculiar  satisfaction  in  overcoming  the  difficul- 
ties of  living.  Yet  the  foot-falls  of  a  steadily  march- 
ing civilization  are  heard  with  increasing  distinctness 
every  year,  and  the  villages  are  rapidly  extending 
their  borders. 

At  Minerva  is  Champney's  house.  Eight  miles  be- 
yond is  Cunningham's,  formerly  Hewitt's.  On  the  Car- 
thage road,  one  mile  east  from  intersection  of  Minerva 
road,  is  the  Tahawus  House,  and  one  mile  east  of  that 
is  John  Cheney's.  Six  miles  west  from  the  junction 
of  the  two  roads  is  Daniel  Bissell's,  long  and  favorably 
known.  At  the  settlement  on  Long  Lake  is  the  public 
house  of  C.  H.  Kellogg,  and  also  the  house  of  Mitchell 
Sabattis,  extensively  known  as  hunter  and  guide. 
Three  miles  farther,  at  head  of  the  lake,  is  the  pleas- 
antly situated  farm-house  of  Mr.  E.  Palmer.  At 
Raquette  Lake,  the  house  kept  by  Mr.  Cary.  At  the 
foot  of  High,  or  Eaquette  Falls,  below  Long  Lake,  is 
Johnson's.  At  head  of  Tupper  Lake  is  the  rustic 
cottage  under  the  care  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graves.  At 
the  Saranac  Lakes  there  are  good  houses  which  are 
easily  found,  such  as  Baker's  on  the  Saranac  River, 
Martin's  on  the  Saranac  Lake,  Paul  Smith's  Forest 
Resort  on  the  little  St.  Regis,  Virgil  Bartlett's,  twelve 
miles  from  Martin's,  and  numerous  others.  But, 
Reader,  if  you  go  to  the'  Adirondacks,  do  not  give 
yourself  too  much  care  about  such  things.  Who- 
ever travels  into  the  Wilderness  region  of  New 
York  for  the  sake  of  the  hotels  had  better  remain 


l8o  SCHKOON      LAKE      AND 

in  New  York.  Rather,  take  your  canoe  and  tent 
and  trust  to  your  hook  and  rifle.  Here  Izaak  Walton 
would  have  gone  into  extacies,  while',  for  ought  we 
know,  Nimrod,  the  mighty  hunter,  would  have  died 
for  joy. 

The  fishermen  and  the  hunters  are  indeed  in  their 
element.  For  the  one,  the  lakes  and  streams  are 
stocked  with  splendid  fish,  while  for  the  other,  the 
woods  abound  with  every  variety  of  game,  from  the 
wild-cat  up  to  the  deer,  the  moose,  the  wolf,  the  pan- 
ther, and  the  bear.  And  as  with  beasts,  so  with  birds. 
You  may  shoot  the  partridge  or  the  loon,  the  eagle  or 
the  duck. 

Until  within  a  few  years,  this  region  was  not  often 
visited  by  summer  tourists.  A  trip  to  the  Adiron- 
dacks  was  viewed  as  something  attended  by  great 
danger  and  incredible  hardship.  But  now  every 
season  brings  a  great  throng  of  nature-loving  people 
from  our  large  towns  and  cities,  to  rough  it  in  the 
rude  shanty,  to  sleep  under  white  tents  that  dot  the 
wide  expanse  of  living  green,  and  to  broil  the  appe- 
tizing venison  steak,  with  their  own  hands,  over  the 
embers  of  the  evening  fire. 

On  the  border  of  this  vast  wilderness  may  always 
be  found  hunters  and  trappers  who  are  ready  to  march 
away  into  the  wildest  recesses  of  the  woods,  and  act 
the  part  of  trusty  leaders  and  guides. 

The  following  table  of  distances  will  be  found 
reliable ;  and  by  taking  it  as  a  guide,  the  tourist 


THE      ADIROND  AC  K  S.  l8l 

will  be  able  to  make  the  most  of  his  time,  and  give 
the  due  proportion  to  every  part  of  the  work  he  has 
before  him. 

Lake  George  to  Warrensburg, 6  miles. 

Warrensburg  to  Chester, 12 

Chester  to  Pottersville, 6 

Pottersville  to  Minerva, 9 

Minerva  to  intersection  of  Carthage  road, 15 

Thenee  to  Daniel  Bissell's, 6 

Bissell's  to  settlement  on  Long  Lake, . . . : 14 

From  Bissell's  to  the  head  of  the  Lake, 3 

Long  Lake  to  Kaquette  Lake, 10 

From  Pottersville  to  Adirondack, 22 

"  "  "  Newcomb,  28 

"  "  "LongLake, 42 

"  "  "Roots, 18 

"  "  "  Elizabethtown, 41 

"  "  "  Keeseville, 62 

"  "  "  Pittsburgh, 76 

At  present  the  Glen's  Falls  and  Chester  Company 
carry  passengers  for  the  Adirondacks  no  farther  than 
Pottersville.  But  thus  far,  at  least,  we  have  some  of 
the  best  staging  in  this  country.  The  coaches  are  all 
of  the  first  class,  and  have  skilful  and  experienced 
drivers,  who  are  attentive  and  courteous,  and  always 
ready  to  promote  the  traveller's  comfort. 

From  Pottersville  a  semi-weekly  coach  runs  to 
Minerva ;  and  from  thence,  once  every  week,  an  open 
wagon  proceeds  to  Long  Lake. 

We  wish  you  a  pleasant  journey  and  a  safe  return. 


LAKE     LUZERNE. 

CHAPTER     XI. 

"  These  lovely  shores !  how  lone  and  still 
A  hundred  years  ago." 

INDIAN  TRAIL  —  THE  LAKE  —  KETTLE-BOTTOM  —  SETTLE- 
MENT—  TORIES  — A  TRADITION—  LUZERNE  RAPIDS  — THE 
FALLS. 


OURISTS  at  Lake  George  should 
not  fail  to  visit  this  beautiful 
lake.  Pedestrians  will  find  the 
walk  to  Luzerne  from  Caldwell 
one  of  great  interest.  The  In- 
dians had  two  trails  leading 
thither.  One  started  from  Fort 
Edward  and  the  other  from  Lake 
George.  In  going  from  the  lat- 
ter place  we  now  travel  on  the 
public  road,  instead  of  winding 
through  dim  forest  paths  of  the  Sacondaga,  where  the 
passage  was  often  disputed  by  the  wolf  and  the  bear. 
From  lake  to  lake  there  is  an  unbroken  succession  of 
ponds  and  small  streams,  and  it  is,  perhaps,  not  too 


LAKE      LTJZERNE.  183 

much  to  affirm,  that  the  water  of  Lake  Luzerne  some- 
times finds  its  way  to  the  sea,  both  by  the  Hudson 
and  the  St.  Lawrence. 

Lake  Luzerne  is  a  small  body  of  water,  and  con- 
tains a  single  island.  On  the  west  is  the  Kayaderos- 
seras  range,  and  on  the  east  the  Luzerne  mountains, 
stretching  from  Lake  George  to  Saratoga  Springs. 
Northward,  at  a  distance  of  four  miles  is  the  mountain 
which  by  the  Indians  was  called  Se-non-ge-wah,  which, 
it  is  said,  means  The  Great  Upturned-Pot.  This 
mountain  is  otherwise  known  as  Kettle-Bottom.  The 
scenery  of  the  lake  is  deemed  exceedingly  fine. 

This  locality  has  no  military  history,  yet  it  is  a 
place  of  considerable  interest.  It  was  incorporated 
from  Queensburg  in  1792,  under  the  name  of  West- 
field,  which  name  it  bore  until  1808,  when  it  was 
called  Luzerne.  A  part  of  the  town  was  ceded  back 
to  Queensburg  in  1802. 

The  first  settlers  appear  to  have  come  in  about  the 
year  1770.  Among  them  were  Robert  Waddell, 
George  Hodgson,  John  Wilkinson,  Reuben  and  Cal- 
vin Washburh,  and  Samuel  Somerville.  The  first 
white  person  born  within  the  limits  of  the  town,  was 
Polly  Waddell ;  the  first  marriage  that  of  Calvin 
Washburn  and  Betsey  Waddell ;  and  the  first  death 
was  that  of  Enos  Grover.  The  first  mills  were  built 
in  the  year  1789-90,  by  a  Mr.  Thurman.  He  opened 
a  store,  and,  in  1795,  built  a  woolen  factory,  after- 
ward adapting  it  to  cotton.  In  1797  he  erected  what 


184  LAKE      LTTZERNE. 

has  been  claimed  as  the  first  calico  printing  works  in 
America. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war  the  residents  here 
were  tories,  who  by  their  active  sympathy  with  the 
English  made  themselves  everyway,  hated  by  the 
patriots.  Deadly  feuds  sprang  up,  and  the  people 
even  thirsted  for  their  blood.  The  Fairchilds  and  the 
Jessups  were  the  most  notorious  offenders.  These 
were  constantly  in  communication  with  the  enemy. 
In  1777,  the  British  commander,  St.  Ledger,  whose 
army  lay  at  the  upper  Mohawk,  sent  a  messenger  to 
the  Fairchilds  as  a  spy.  The  patriots  in  the  vicinity 
on  learning  the  fact,  made  arrangements  to  apprehend 
him  ;  but  the  story  goes  that  when  pursued  he  escaped, 
leaping  across  the  Hudson  at  Jessup's  Fall.  The  fact 
that  the  stream  at  this  point  is  twenty-five,  feet  wide, 
does  not  appear  to  have  disturbed  the  equanimity  of 
the  story-teller. 

It  is  also  said  that  in  the  course  of  the  war  the 
place  become  so  obnoxious  to  General  Gates  that  he 
sent  a  force  and  burned  the  village.  How  much  of  a 
village  existed  at  the  time  tradition  does  not  say. 
Prior  to  its  occupation  by  tlm  whites  it  had  been  a 
place  of  assembly  for  the  Indians.  Probably  the  con- 
flagration, if  one  occurred,  was  confined  to  a  few  log- 
huts. 

In  this  vicinity  may  be  seen  some  fine  cascades  and 
falls.  Luzerne  Rapids,  called  Jessup's  Little  Falls, 
are  close  at  hand.  They  descend  eighteen  feet.  Jes- 


LAKE      LUZEENE. 


i8S 


sup's  Great  Fall,  called  by  the  Indians,  Kah-che-bon- 
cook,  is  five  miles  below.  They  take  their  name  from 
the  proprietor  of  the  grant,  who  settled  here  before 
the  Revolution.  They  are  also  known  as  Hadley's 
Falls  and  Palmer's  Falls. 

Another  fine  sight  is  also  afforded  where  the  Sacon- 
daga  unites  with  the  Hudson,  the  waters  of  the  lake 
rushing  noisily  through  an  arched  bridge.  The 
Indians  called  this  Tio-sa-won-da,  or,  "The  Meeting 
of  the  Waters."  This  stream  is  a  tributary  of  the 
Hudson  and  flows  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles  out 
of  Hamilton  County. 


LAKE     LUZERNE 


Between  Jessup's  Landing  and  the  Fall,  the  Hudson 
descends  about  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  passing 
through  bold  ravines  with  high  rocky  banks.  The 
fall  is  seventy  feet  high.  Whoever  desires  a  charming 
day's  walk  should  follow  the  course  of  the  Hudson 
from  this  point  to  Glen's  Falls,  a  distance  of  thirteen 


l86  LAKE      LUZERNE. 

miles.  The  entire  course  abounds  with  romantic 
beauties. 

Wherever  we  go  when  visiting  this  region  we  shall 
find  no  lack  of  attractions.  Beautiful  streams,  brawl- 
ing rapids  and  sounding  falls  unite  to  share  the  admi- 
ration excited  by  the  Lake  of  Luzerne. 

The  village  is  pleasantly  situated  below  the  lake, 
which  is  elevated  on  a  sort  of  table  land  a  little  way 
off.  Here  is  found  the  hotel,  and,  in  the  season,  ex- 
cellent company  may  be  enjoyed,  while  the  days  glide 
by.  in  walks,  drives,  and  excursions  on  the  lake. 

The  following  lines  by  Percival,  express  the  admi- 
ration that  many  feel  for  Lake  Luzerne: 

"  The  waves  along  thy  pebbly  shore, 

As  blows  the  north-wind  heave  their  foam, 
And  curl  around  the  dashing  oar, 
As  late  the  boatman  hies  him  home. 

How  sweet,  at  set  of  sun,  to  view 

Thy  golden  mirror  spreading  wide, 
And  see  the  mist  of  mantling  blue 

Float  round  the  distant  mountain  side. 

At  midnight  hour  as  shines  the  moon; 

A  sheet  of  silver  spreads  below, 
And  swift  she  cuts  at  highest  noon, 

Light  clouds,  like  wreaths  of  purest  snow. 

On  thy  fair  bosom,  silver  lake, 

O !  I  could  ever  sweep  the  oar, 
When  early  birds  at  morning  wake, 

And  evening  tells  us  toils  are  o'er." 


APPENDIX. 


A 


P  P  EN  DI  X. 


I. 

ACCOUNT    OF    BERNARD    ROMANS. 

[  MSS.  in  Connecticut  State  Library.    Revolutionary  War,  Vol.  iii. 
p.  26.    Furnished  by  Charles  J.  Iloadly,  Esq.,  Librarian.] 

COLONY  OF  CONNECTICUT  TO  BERNARD  ROMANS,  ESQ*  Dr. 
for  monies  advanced  &  for  which  he  gave  obligations,  viz* : 

To  pd  Heman  Allen  going  Express  after  Ethan 

Allen,  120  miles £2.16.  0 

To  pd  Elisha  Phelps  ^  rec'  on  file  ...  30.  0.— 
To  pd  expences  3  Persons  from  Ben5'"  to  Albany  .  .  9.06 
To  pa  Benjamin  French  for  Pork  4  bbls  <$>  rec'  .  12.  0. — 
To  pd  Gershom  Hewit  Expence  over  lake  .  .  1.10. — 
To  pd  Jn°  Stevens  Canaan,  Expence  <£>  rec'  .  .  3.16. — 
To  pa  ditto  d°  $>  d°  .  .  2.16.— 

To  pd  George  Palmer  Esqr  for  flower  <Jp  d°    .         .     3.  1.  6 

To  my  Expences  at  Albany 7.  6 

To  ditto,  on  road  to  Still  Water,  Fort  Edward  &"          9. — 
To  ditto,  at  &  near  Fort  Edward,  getting  men  to- 
gether        16.  4 

To  pd  Abram  Wing  in  part  for  Expences      .         .          9. — 
To  d°  Cash  to  John  Stevens  .         .         .         .1.  8. — 

To  d°  horse 'shoeing  7/6  —  Expen"  on  roado/-.       .12.  6 
To  pd  Butler  for  Expen'  as  Express  to  Stillwater       .12. — 
To  horse  hire  for  ditto          .....       .15. — 

To  Expen'  on  road  at  mead"  runbridge  &  Fort 

Geo  :  16  men 1.10.— 

To  Expen9  on  Lake  &  at  Ticonderoga  Landing     .       .  7.  6 


IV  APPENDIX. 

To  d°  at  Ticond*  &  on  Lake  returning  .         .  .  9.  4 
To  pd  enlisted  men  for  their  Exp".  —  Peter  Cas- 

wel  $>  Rec* 4.  2. — 

To  Expe"  on  road  &  at  Saratoga,  returning  .         .  .  9. — 

To  d°  at  Lanesborough                           d°               .  7. — 

To  pa  Mayhon  Wagoner  to  Transport  Prisoners  )  9  1 9    p 

from  Lake  to  Lanesborough      .         .  £ 

To  pd  Prisoners  Expences  at  Lanesborough           .  .16.10 
To   fetching  my  horse  rode    by   Jn°   Brown,  & 

keeping  &° 1.  8. — 

To  advanced  mony  to  one  of  Prisoners  sick          .  .12. — 

To  pd  for  10  Loaves  Bread  for  Prisoners      .         .  .  7.  6 

To  10Ib  Pork  for                             ditto          .         .  .  5.— 

To  pd  two  Waggoners  from  Lanesbor?  to  Noble-  ?  «    0  — 

town  58  miles  each  —  they  found  themselves  £ 

TopdExp"  at  Lanesbor°5/-d°onRoad  7/6       .  .12.6 

To  pd  for  Ton  Iron  to  M1  French,  for  Chains        .  28.10.— 
To  Expences  advanced  on  the  Road  as  $>  Bill  "| 

from  Hartford  to  Bennington  including  a  Gun  I  1 9    c    4 

bo1  for  Cap'  Mott  50 /-  for  which  he  must  be  j 

charged  &  also  35/3  Expence  paid  for  Mott    J 

To  Expences  on  the  Road    ....         .  1.16.— 

£131.11.10 


SUPRA  —  Cr 

By  Cash  recd  of   Mess™  Deane    Leffingwell    &° 

$>  Rec'     .         ......          100.  0.  0 

By  an  order  on  Treasurer  in  full  this  acco'  this  \  qi  n  1A 

31"  day  May  1775     .....        \  d1-11-10 


£131.11.10 


Errors  Excepted 

V  B  ROMANS. 


APPENDIX.  V. 

II. 

PETITION  OF  JOHN  NORDBERG. 

[  From  N.  Y.  Miscellaneous  Papers,  Vol.  xxxi.  p.  15.    N.  Y.  Revolu- 
tionary Papers,  I.  p.  206.    In  Office  of  Secretary  of  State  at  Albany.] 

"  TlIE  MOST  RESPECTABLE  GENTLEMEN, 

PROVINCIAL  CONGRESS  IN  NEW  YORK. 

"  I  beg  leave  to  represent  to  the  most  respectable  Con- 
gress this  circumstance. 

"  I  am  a  native  of  Sweden,  and  have  been  persecuted  for 
that,  I  have  been  against  the  French  faction  there. 

"  I  have  been  in  His  Britanick  Magesty's  Service  sinse 
January  1758. 

"  I  have  been  twice  shot  through  my  body  here  last  war 
in  America,  &  I  am  now  65  years  old  —  reduced  of  age, 
Avounds  &  and  gravels,  which  may  be  seen  by  Doctor  Jones'' 
certificate. 

"  1773.  I  got  permission  in  Jamaica  to  go  to  London 
where  I  petition  to  be  an  Invalid  officer,  but  as  a  foreigner 
I  could  not  enjoy  a  commission  in  England,  or  Ereland  His 
Magisty  was  graciously  pleased  to  give  me  the  allowance 
for  Fort  George  7  shilling  sterling  per  day,  with  liberty  to 
live  where  I  please  in  America,  because  the  fort  has  been 
abandoned  this  8  year  and  only  2  men  remain  there  for  to 
assist,  any  express  going  between  New  York  and  Canada. 
I  arrived  here  in  New  York  last  year  in  September  with 
intention  to  live  in  New  York  :  as  I  heard  nothing  els  than 
disharmony  amongst  Gentlemen1  which  was  not  agreeable 
to  my  age.  I  resolved  to  go  to  Fort  George  and  live  there 
in  a  little  Cottage  as  an  Hermit,  where  I  was  very  happy 
for  6  months. 

"  The  1 2  of  May  last  Mr.  Romans  came  &  took  pos- 
session of  Fort  George,  Mr.  Romans  behaved  very  genteel 
and  civil  to  me.  I  told  that  I  did  not  belong  to  the  army 
and  may  be  considered  as  a  half  pay  officer  invalid,  and 
convinced  him  that  I  was  pleagd  with  Gravell,  Mr.  Romans 


VI.  APPENDIX. 

give  me  his  passport  to  go  to  New  Lebanon  for  to  recover 
my  health,  &  he  told  me  that  in  regard  to  my  age,  I  may 
go  where  I  please. 

"  As  I  can't  sell  any  bill  for  my  subsistance,  &  I  can't  live 
upon  Avind  and  weather,  I  therefore  beg  and  implore  the 
most  respectable  Congress  permission  to  go  to  England, 
and  I  intend  to  go  to  my  native  country,  I  could  have  gone 
away  secret  so  well  as  some  others  have  done,  but  I  will 
not  upon  any  account  do  such  a  thing  —  I  hope  the  most 
respectable  will  not  do  partially  to  refuse  me,  because  major 
Etherington,  Captain  Brown,  Captain  Kelly  which  is  in 
the  army  have  been  permitted  to  go  to  England,  and  it 
may  happen  they  return  here  again  on  actual  Service, 
which  old  age  &  infirmities  render  me  incapable  of. 

"  As  it  is  the  custom  among  the  Christian  nations  and 
the  Turks,  that  they  give  subsistance  to  every  Prisoner 
according  to  their  Rank  should  the  most  respectable  Con- 
gress, have  any  claim  upon  me  to  be  a  prisoner  here,  I  hope 
they  will  give  me  my  subsistence  from  th  12  of  May  last, 
according  to  My  Rank  as  Captain  I  implore  the  favor  of 
the  most  respectable  Congress  answer.  I  have  the  honour 
to  remain  with  great  respect, 

"  GENTLEMEN 

"  Your  most  obed*  humble  Servant 

"  JOHN  NORDBERG. 
"NEW  YORK,  decemb1  1775." 


APPENDIX.  Vii 

m. 

LAKE  CHAMPLAIN. 

Lake  Champlain  was  discovered  and  named  by  Samuel 
do  Champlain,  in  1609.  It  appears  that  he  had  left  the 
infant  colony  of  Quebec  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the 
interior  ;  and  having  advanced  as  far  as  possible  with  his 
boat  on  the  Richelieu  River,  he  left  the  boat,  and,  attended 
by  only  two  of  his  followers,  joined  a  party  of  Algonquin 
Indians,  who  were  proceeding  in  their  canoes  to  give  battle 
to  the  Iroquois.  July  2,  they  travelled  on  foot  around  the 
Chambly  Rapids,  which  had  obstructed  the  passage  of  his 
heavy  boat,  the  Indians  carrying  their  light  canoes.  Re- 
embarking  above  the  rapids,  they  sailed  on  until  they 
emerged  upon  the  great  lake  to  which  he  gave  his  name, 
and  then  bore  away  southward  up  the  lake,  and  met  the 
Iroquois  between  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point.  The 
night  previous  to  the  battle  both  parties  spent  the  time  use- 
ually  devoted  to  sleep  in  preparing  for  the  encounter. 
This  consisted  in  singing  and  dancing,  and  in  applying  to 
each  other  all  manner  of  abusive  epithets,  accompanied  by 
declarations  of  what  on  the  morrow  they  intended  sev- 
erally to  acchieve.  Yet,  as  the  Iroquois  were  unaccus 
tomed  to  fire-arms,  when  the  day  came  they  were  soon 
put  to  rout.  Champlain  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
fight.  He  says : 

"  My  companion  and  I  were  always  concealed,  for  fear 
the  enemy  should  see  us,  preparing  our  arms  the  best  we 
could,  being,  however,  separated,  each  being  in  one  of  the 
canoes  belonging  to  the  savage  Montagners.  After  we 
were  equipped  with  light  armor,  we  each  took  an  arquebus 


Vlll  APPENDIX. 

and  went  ashore.  I  saw  the  enemy  leave  their  barricade. 
There  were  about  two  hundred  men  of  strong  and  robust 
appearance,  who  were  coming  slowly  towards  us,  with  a 
gravity  and  assurance  that  greatly  pleased  me,  led  on  by 
three  chiefs.  Ours  were  marching  in  similar  order,  and  they 
told  me  that  those  who  bore  the  three  lofty  plumes  were 
chiefs,  and  that  there  were  but  these  three,  who  were  to  be 
recognized  by  these  plumes,  which  were  considerably  larger 
than  those  of  their  companions,  and  that  I  must  do  all  that 
I  could  to  kill  them.  I  promised  to  do  what  I  could,  and 
that  I  was  very  sorry  that  they  could  not  clearly  under- 
stand me,  so  as  to  give  them  the  order  and  plan  of  attack- 
ing their  enemies,  as  we  should  certainly  defeat  them  all ; 
but  there  was  no  help  for  that ;  that  I  was  very  glad  to 
encourage  them  and  to  manifest  my  good  will  when  we 
should  be  engaged. 

"  The  moment  we  landed  they  began  to  run  about  two 
hundred  paces  towards  their  enemies,  who  stood  firm,  and 
had  not  yet  perceived  my  companions,  who  went  into  the 
bush  with  some  savages.  Our's  commenced  calling  me  in  a 
loud  voice,  and  making  way  for  me,  opened  in  two,  and 
and  placed  me  at  their  head,  marching  about  twenty  paces 
in  advance,  until  I  was  within  thirty  paces  of  the  enemy. 
The  moment  they  saw  me,  they  halted,  gazing  at  me  and  I 
at  them.  When  I  saw  them  preparing  to  shoot  at  us,  I 
raised  my  arquebus,  and  aiming  direetly  at  one  of  the  three 
chiefs,  two  of  them  fell  to  the  ground  by  this  shot,  and  one 
of  their  companions  received  a  wound,  of  which  he  died 
afterwards.  I  had  put  four  balls  in  my  arquebus.  Our's, 
on  seeing  a  shot  so  favorable  for  them,  set  up  such  tremen- 
dous shouts  that  thunder  could  not  have  been  heard ;  and 
yet,  there  was  no  lack  of  arrows  on  both  sides.  The  Iro- 


APPENDIX.  IX 

quois  were  greatly  astonished  seeing  two  men  killed  so 
quickly,  who  were  provided  with  arrow-proof  armor  woven 
of  cotton  thread  and  wood ;  this  frightened  them  very 
much.  Whilst  I  was  re-loading,  one  of  my  companions  in 
the  bush  fired  a  shot  which  so  astonished  them  anew,  seeing 
their  chiefs  were  slain,  that  they  lost  courage,  took  to  flight, 
and  abandoned  the  field  and  their  fort,  hiding  themselves 
in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  whither  pursuing  them,  I  killed 
some  others.  Our  savages  also  killed  several  of  them  and 
took  ten  or  twelve  prisoners.  The  rest  carried  off  the 
wounded.  Fifteen  or  sixteen  of  ours  were  wounded  by 
arrows,  but  they  were  promptly  cured." 

After  this  the  party  returned,  and  the  savages  amused 
themselves  by  torturing  their  prisoners,  one  of  whom  Cham- 
plain  shot,  in  order  to  deliver  him  from  his  cruel  torment- 
ors. This  was,  undoubtedly,  the  first  time  that  a  white 
man  ever  saw  the  lake.  In  course  of  years,  as  seen  by  the 
history  of  Lake  George,  this  lake  became  a  part  of  the 
great  route  between  the  Canadas  and  New  York. 

As  early  as  1730,  the  French  conceived  the  idea  of 
founding  a  great  political  power  on  the  shores  of  the  lake, 
the  capital  of  which  should  be  Crown  Point.  Here  they 
built  a  fort  called  Fort  St.  Frederic,  and  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  an  extensive  settlement,  of  which  many  traces  are 
still  found  by  the  antiquarian.  Twenty-five  years  later,  as 
the  reader  has  already /been  informed,  the  fort  was  built  at 
Ticonderoga.  But  in  1759  the  French  power  on  Lake 
Champlain  was  broken,  and  their  plans  and  settlements 
were  dissolved. 

There  were  but  few  events  in  the  history  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain  during  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  that  are  not 
detailed  in  the  history  of  Lake  George.  The  day  after 


X  APPENDIX. 

the  capture  of  Ticonderoga,  the  fortress  at  Crown  Point, 
garrisoned  by  a  dozen  British  troops,  also  surrendered,  and 
within  a  short  time  Benedict  Arnold  captured  some  British 
craft  that  were  unsuspectingly  abroad  on  the  lake.  Yet 
during  the  Revolution  there  was  but  little  severe  fighting 
here. 

In  the  year  1814,  Lake  Champlain  was  made  quite  mem- 
orable in  our  naval  annals  by  the  victory  of  the  American 
commander,  Commodore  Macdonough,  over  Commodore 
Downie.  Macdonough's  force  consisted  of  fourteen  vessels, 
eighty-six  guns,  and  eight  hundred  and  eighty  men  ;  while 
Downie  had  sixteen  vessels,  ninety-five  guns,  and  one  thou- 
sand men. 

The  battle  took  place  opposite  Plattsburgh,  on  Sunday 
morning,  September  7.  Soon  after  daylight,  the  Amer- 
icans had  intelligence  of  the  approach  of  the  British,  and 
the  fleet  was  prepared  for  action. 

Before  the  fight  commenced,  an  unusual  scene  was 
enacted  on  board  the  flag-ship  Saratoga.  Assembling  his 
crew  on  deck,  prayers  were  read  by  Commodore  Mac- 
donough, who  fervently  implored  the  Divine  protection, 
and  the  successful  termination  of  the  conflicts,  all  the  while 
the  housetops  on  shore  being  covered  by  spectators,  await- 
ing the  issues  of  the  day  with  the  most  painful  anxiety. 

When  the  enemy,  with  flags  and  streamers  flying,  came 
around  Cumberland  Head,  and  arrived  within  range,  Mac- 
donough sent  a  twenty-four  pound  shot  the  entire  length 
of  the  deck  of  Downie's  flag-ship,  killing  a  number  of  men. 
The  Americans  then  opened  a  general  fire,  which  the  Eng- 
lish did  not  return  until  they  were  able  to  do  so  with  great 
effect.  At  the  first  broadside  of  the  English  Flagship, 
the  Confidence,  a  large  number  of  the  crew  of  the  Flag- 


APPENDIX.  Xi 

ship  Saratoga  were  either  killed  or  wounded.  But  the 
men  rallied  and  gave  a  powerful  reply,  the  broadsides 
being  exchanged  with  such  rapidity  that  the  vessels  at 
times  seemed  all  aflame.  Twice  the  cry  was  raised  that 
Commodore  Macdonough  was  killed,  artd  it  seemed  at 
one  time  as  if  it  would  be  necessary  to  surrender ;  yet  by 
a  skilful  manoeuvre  the  fight  was  maintained  until  the 
British  commander  himself  was  killed,  and  his  colors  pulled 
down. 

The  other  vessels  of  the  fleet  were  managed  with  equal 
gallantry,  and  the  British  were  all  obliged  to  surrender, 
with  the  exception  of  the  small  gun-boats,  which,  at  the  end 
of  two  hours  and  a  half,  escaped  from  the  harbor  with  the 
aid  of  their  sweeps. 

While  this  battle  was  going  on,  the  British  were  active 
upon  the  land,  fourteen  thousand  men  under  General 
Provost  attacking  an  unequal  force  of  Americans  under 
General  Macomb.  The  result  of  the  contest  on  the  lake, 
however,  disheartened  Provost,  who  finally  beat  a  retreat. 

Thus  ended  a  memorable  struggle,  rendered  all  the  more 
interesting  by  the  place  where  it  occurred,  which  was  not, 
like  most  naval  engagements,  on  the  dark,  blue,  boundless 
sea,  but  on  this  inland  lake,  bordered  by  hamlets,  villages, 
and  farms,  and  environed  on  all  side  by  green  hills,  mea- 
dows, and  distant  mountains. 

The  people  of  New  York  and  Vermont  residing  on  the 
shores  of  the  lake,  thus  found  themselves  at  liberty  to 
pursue  their  respective  avocations  until  the  war  with 
England  closed. 

Lake  Champlain  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  long,  and 
varies  greatly  in  width.  Some  parts  being  only  a  fourth 
of  a  mile  wide,  and  others  stretching  out  to  a  breadth  of 


Xll  APPENDIX. 

thirteen.  It  covers  an  area  of  more  than  five  hundred 
square  miles.  Its  water,  unlike  that  of  Lake  George,  is 
more  or  less  discolored,  especially  on  approaching  the 
southern  terminus,  or  South  Bay,  where  the  water  becomes 
muddy.  Here,  "too,  the  channel  grows  narrow,  and  at 
times  the  steamer  glides  along  within  a  few  feet  of  over- 
hanging cliffs  which  lie  on  the  east  side  ;  while  on  the  west 
are  the  so-called  "  Drowned  Lands,''  consisting  of  swamp 
and  marsh.  It  was  by  this  route  that  Burgoyne  brought 
the  bulk  of  his  army  in  1777. 

Towards  the  north,  the  scene  constantly  improves  ;  yet, 
nevertheless,  we  miss  the  sweetness  and  beauty  of  Lake 
George.  We  occasionally  fall  in  with  odd-looking  craft. 
The  number  of  vessels  engaged  in  the  navigation  of  the 
lake  is  not  large,  though  their  extremely  picturesque  char- 
acter renders  them  objects  of  interest.  Modeled  often  after 
the  pattern  of  the  Ark,  or  at  least  theChinese  junk,  these 
clumsy  craft  —  half  French  and  half  American,  and  rang- 
ing from  thirty  to  a  hundred  tons,  now  sloop  now  schooner 
rigged,  and  now  carrying  the  piratical  latteen  sail  —  go 
creeping  at  snail-pace  from  port  to  port  all  the  summer, 
the  domestic  stove-pipe  on  the  quarter-deck  ever  sending 
up  its  curling  cloud-wreaths,  and  proclaiming  the  presence 
of  the  "  skipper's  "  family,  who,  like  himself,  have  a  roving 
commission  for  the  season,  and  no  homestead,  except  that 
afforded  by  the  surface  of  Champlain.  We  may  also  see 
rafts  of  canal  boats  from  the  ports  of  New  Jersey  that  have 
come  up  the  Hudson,  reaching  this  lake  by  the  Champlain 
Canal,  on  their  way  to  Montreal. 

In  order  to  see  every  part  of  the  Lake,  the  tourist  must 
embark  p.t  Whitehall,  where  the  steamers  leave  daily  on 
the  arrival  of  trains  from  Albany  and  New  York,  and 


APPENDIX.  XU1 

proceed  down  the  lake.  After  passing  through  what  is 
known  as  the  South  Bay,  and  passing  Ticonderoga,  where 
the  steamer  always  makes  a  landing,  the  lake  begins  to 
widen,  affording  a  broad  expanse  of  water,  dotted  here 
and  there  with  islands ;  while  in  course  of  time  the 
mountains  rise  in  the  distance  on  either  hand;  Camel's 
Hump  and  Mansfield  Mountain  looming  up  towards  the 
east,  and  the  cloud-splitting  Adirondacks  lying  with 
especial  boldness  against  the  western  sky. 

Among  the  points  touched  on  the  lake,  in  addition  to  those 
already  mentioned,  are  Chimney  Point,  opposite  Crown 
Point,  so  called  from  the  remains  of  French  masonry  ;  Port 
Henry  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Crown  Point,  on  the 
same  side ;  West  Port,  sixteen  miles  further  on,  lying  at 
the  east  side ;  Basin  Harbor,  and  Fort  Cassin  ;  the  former 
five,  and  the  latter  eight  miles  from  West  Port.  Cassin 
Harbor  is  named  after  Lieutenant  Cassin,  who,  in  1814, 
defeated  the  British  in  their  attempt  to  destroy  the  Amer- 
ican fleet.  Split  Hock,  on  the  west  shore,  near  which  is 
the  lighthouse,  forms  the  terminus  of  one  of  the  ranges  of 
the  Adirondacks.  Here  a  part  of  the  mountain  is  split  off, 
and  separated  from  it  by  a  chasm  twelve  feet  wide,  forming 
a  very  remarkable  feature.  Seventy  miles  from  Whitehall, 
on  the  east  side,  is  the  city  of  Burlington,  the  seat  of  the 
University  of  Vermont.  Port  Kent,  a  small  village,  lies  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  lake,  which  is  now  ten  miles  wide, 
and  in  the  distance  the  Adirondacks  appear.  Port  Kent  is  a 
point  from  which  these  mountains  may  be  reached.  At 
this  place  the  tourist  will  feel  repaid  by  delaying  to  visit 
the  Falls  and  the  Walled  Rocks  of  the  Ausable  River, 
which,  though  comparatively  unknown,  afford  some  of  the 
wildest  and  most  impressive  scenes  to  be  found  in  the 


XIV  APPEND      X. 

country.  Everything  may  be  set  a  in  the  course  of  a  day. 
The  next  point  of  interest  is  Port  Jackson,  on  the  west 
shore,  with  Valcour  Island  opposite.  Near  this  point,  in 
1776,  Arnold  was  severely  defeated  by  Captain  Pringle, 
who  commanded  the  British.  On  the  same  side  is  Platts- 
burgh,  situated  one  hundred  miles  from  Whitehall.  Twen- 
ty-five miles  further  on,  at  Rouse's  Point,  we  pass  the 
American  lines  and  enter  the  dominion  of  the  Queen, 
where  we  at  once  begin  to  realize  that  we  are  in  a  foreign 
country.  This  is  indicated  by  an  occasional  soldier  in  the 
Queen's  uniform,  and  by  the  constantly  increasing  number 
of  French  Canadians  of  the  lower  classes,  who,  to  their 
untidy  aspect,  add  the  equally  poor  attraction  of  their 
wretched  patois.  Here,  also,  the  custom-house  officials  pay 
their  respects  to  the  traveller's  baggage,  and  ply  the  ques- 
tion, "  Anything  dut'able  ?  "  The  tourist  may  here  go  on 
twenty-three  miles  by  water,  or  take  train  for  Ogdensburg 
and  Montreal. 


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